TNPSC BITS ...........................................................................................................................................

12
TAMIL NADU .......................................................................................................................................... 25
Water ATM at Nilgiris ..................................................................................... 25
TN ambitious Bus Rapid Transit System ......................................................... 25
Three bio-CNG plants - Chennai...................................................................... 26
V.O. Chidambaranar Port Creates Record ....................................................... 27
Health Insurance in Tamilnadu ...................................................................... 27
Compulsory Aadhar in TN Schools .................................................................. 27
Heavy Rains at Nilgiris ................................................................................... 27
Best Corporation and Municipalities in TN ..................................................... 28
Kalaimamani Awards 2011-18 ........................................................................ 28
Palani Panchamirtham – GI Tag ...................................................................... 29
Tirupattur, Ranipettai Districts ...................................................................... 29
AMMA Patrol Vehicle ...................................................................................... 29
Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) in Nungambakkam .............................. 30
Blue Glow in Chennai Beaches........................................................................ 31
TN CM’s Independence Day Awards ................................................................ 32
Invasive Plant Species in Mudumalai Tiger Reserve ........................................ 33
M Sand ........................................................................................................... 33
Kalvi Tholaikkatchi ........................................................................................ 34
Ecotoxicology Centre at SACON, Coimbatore ................................................. 34
New law colleges ............................................................................................. 34
Special Grievance Redressal Scheme .............................................................. 34
STAR 2.0 ........................................................................................................ 35
First Electric Buses in Tamilnadu .................................................................. 35
Microchipping Chippiparai Dogs – Nellai Veterinary College ........................... 36
Dindigul Locks, Kandangi Saree ..................................................................... 36
Energy Efficient Electric Trains – Southern Railway ....................................... 37
Planning – Online Sanction ............................................................................ 37
NATIONAL ............................................................................................................................................... 38
Atal Community Innovation Centre ................................................................ 38
Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, 2019 ......................... 38
Additional Charge - NSG ................................................................................. 38
National Bal Bhawan ...................................................................................... 39
R-27 Air to Air Russian Missiles ..................................................................... 39
ISRO Technical Liaison Unit at Moscow ......................................................... 40
Water Stress Index ......................................................................................... 40
Nutrient Based Subsidy .................................................................................. 40
Increasing the Number of SC Judges .............................................................. 41
The Protection of Human Rights (Amendment) Bill, 2019............................... 41
One Nation One Ration – Trail Implementation .............................................. 42
The Indian Medical Council (Amendment) Bill, 2019 ...................................... 42
Pashmina Testing Centre ............................................................................... 43
India’s First Time Release Study .................................................................... 43
Genome India Initiative ................................................................................. 44
The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Amendment) Bill, 2019 ...... 44
Kala Azar Disease ........................................................................................... 45
Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment (UAPA) Bill, 2019 ...................... 46
Institutions of Eminence ................................................................................ 46
Comprehensive information for Census 2021 ................................................. 46
Disabled-friendly buses ................................................................................... 47
Triple Talaq Bill’s History ............................................................................... 47
Saffron Experiment in Ladakh ........................................................................ 48
Ayodhya Mediation Failed .............................................................................. 48
Prisoner’s Cannot Vote ................................................................................... 48
The Repealing and Amending Bill, 2019 ......................................................... 49
The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Bill, 2019 ....................................... 49
Safeguarding Space Assets ............................................................................. 51
Elephant Census ............................................................................................ 51
Intelligent Traffic Control – Chandigarh ......................................................... 52
Article 370 ..................................................................................................... 52
Monsoon Session 2019 ................................................................................... 54
Samjhauta Express Stopped ........................................................................... 55
National Entrepreneurship Awards, 2019 ....................................................... 55
Child Care Leave – Male Military Personnel .................................................... 56
66th National Film Awards .............................................................................. 56
Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill 2019 .............................. 57
Breastfeeding Report ...................................................................................... 58
Eco-Sensitive Zones (ESZ) .............................................................................. 58
The Consumer Protection Bill, 2019 ............................................................... 59
July 2019 Hottest Recorded Month in History ............................................... 61
Operation Number Plate – RPF ....................................................................... 61
Cancer Treatment .......................................................................................... 62
Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (Amendment) Bill, 2019 .............................. 62
Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorised Occupants) Amendment Bill, 201963
Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill, 2019 ......................................................... 64
Gallantry Medals to Armed Forces .................................................................. 65
RPF Commandos - CORAS .............................................................................. 66
Swachh Bharath (Urban) ................................................................................. 67
Home Minister’s Medal for Excellence in Investigation................................... 67
Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) .......................................................................... 68
Samagra Shiksha-Jal Suraksha ....................................................................... 68
UNSC Closed Consultation on Kashmir Issue .................................................. 68
India – Bhutan Relations ................................................................................ 69
Chardham Project .......................................................................................... 70
Thar Express .................................................................................................. 70
e-version of Rozgar Samachar ........................................................................ 71
Committee to review Defence Procurement Procedure ................................... 71
Know India Program for Indian origin Youth .................................................. 72
International Conference on Teacher Education – New Delhi .......................... 72
Two New Fish Species .................................................................................... 72
Inter-State Council ......................................................................................... 72
National Essential Diagnostics List (NEDL) ..................................................... 73
Environmental and Social Management Framework – Coastal States .............. 74
2nd Uday Express ........................................................................................... 74
Mobile Metallic Ramp for Army ...................................................................... 74
D Voters – Assam NRC Issue ........................................................................... 75
 Secretarial Appointments ............................................................................... 75
NISHTHA – Teacher’s Training Program .......................................................... 76
Op-Blue Freedom: Phase 2 .............................................................................. 76
SARAL – State Rooftop Solar Attractiveness Index ......................................... 77
Zonal Councils Meet ....................................................................................... 77
Ocean Energy as Renewable Energy................................................................ 78
‘SAN-Sadhan’ Hackathon – Accessible Toilets ................................................. 78
The Sabka Vishwas - Legacy Dispute Resolution Scheme, 2019 ...................... 78
National Resource Efficiency Policy, 2019 ..................................................... 79
Composite Water Management Index 2.0 ........................................................ 80
Mesovelia Insects ........................................................................................... 80
SPG Protection Withdrawn for Former PM Manmohan Singh .......................... 81
Indo Pacific Chiefs of Defence Conference ...................................................... 82
FSSAI Lab @ Ghaziabad, UP ............................................................................ 82
Construction around Protected Monuments ................................................... 83
Amazon and Indian Military Veterans ............................................................. 83
Microsoft India Trains 5,000 Government Employees .................................... 83
Anubhav Awards 2019 .................................................................................... 83
National Digital Library of India ..................................................................... 84
September – Month of Poshan ........................................................................ 84
Bureau of Police Research and Development Foundation Day ......................... 84
'Fit India' Movement ...................................................................................... 85
75 new Medical Colleges in 3 Years ................................................................ 85
Facial Biometric Data of Seafarers.................................................................. 85
7th National Community Radio Sammelan ..................................................... 86
New images on tobacco packets...................................................................... 86
Leather Mission - KVIC ................................................................................... 86
WTI Awards – NITI Aayog ................................................................................ 87
Child Well-being Index 2019 ........................................................................... 87
12th India Security Summit ........................................................................... 89
100% FDI in Coal ........................................................................................... 89
INTERNATIONAL ................................................................................................................................. 89
Shawala Teja Singh Temple in Pakistan .......................................................... 89
 Nagar Kirtan – 550th Guru Nanak Anniversary ............................................... 90
Singapore Convention on Mediation ............................................................... 90
India – Africa Relations .................................................................................. 90
US-Russia Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces Treaty .................................... 91
Asean-India summits ...................................................................................... 91
Kajin Sara Lake .............................................................................................. 91
Reusable Launch Vehicles .............................................................................. 92
Russia on Kashmir issue ................................................................................ 92
First US Missile Test Post INF Treaty Withdrawal ........................................... 92
Zambian President’s India visit ...................................................................... 93
World Police and Fire Games’ 2019 ................................................................ 93
Maritime Surveillance and Security – India and France .................................. 93
FATF – Pakistan Blocked ................................................................................ 94
First Floating Nuclear Reactor - Russia .......................................................... 94
South-South and Triangular Cooperation........................................................ 95
Modi in UAE ................................................................................................... 96
WorldSkills event ........................................................................................... 96
45th G7 Summit at Biarritz, France ............................................................... 97
South Asia Air Quality Tech Camp, Kathmandu.............................................. 98
ECONOMY ............................................................................................................................................... 98
Easy External Commercial Borrowings ........................................................... 98
The Companies (Amendment) Bill, 2019 ......................................................... 98
Failing Indian Economy – Rank 5 to 7 ............................................................ 99
The Special Economic Zones (Amendment) Bill, 2019 .................................... 99
SBI and China’s Payment System ................................................................. 100
The Code on Wages 2019 .............................................................................. 100
Anti-Dumping Duty on PTA .......................................................................... 102
The Companies (Amendment) Bill, 2019 ....................................................... 102
Monetary Policy Statement .......................................................................... 103
Second Largest Foreign Investment ............................................................. 103
Injeti Srinivas Committee on Corporate social responsibility ....................... 104
India vs America: Solar Panel Case in WTO ................................................... 104
SAMARTH scheme ........................................................................................ 104
 e-commerce portal - Bharat Craft ................................................................. 105
Emergency Economic Measures – Finance Minister ...................................... 105
1.76 Lakh crore transferred: RBI to Central Government ............................. 106
TM Bhasin - Bank Fraud Board ..................................................................... 107
GDP Growth ................................................................................................. 107
10 public sector banks to be merged ............................................................ 108
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY ...................................................................................................... 109
TOI 270 Planetary System – TESS ................................................................ 109
TB Medicine Trial ......................................................................................... 109
BrahMos cruise missiles to Thailand ............................................................ 109
Solar Cell from Kumkum .............................................................................. 110
Electricity from Ocean Waves....................................................................... 110
Biofuel from Used Cooking Oil ...................................................................... 110
Iron Ion Batteries – IIT M ............................................................................. 111
Lead in PVC Pipes ........................................................................................ 112
NASA Mars Mission from Iceland .................................................................. 112
Bone Implant from Egg Shells ...................................................................... 112
Pretomanid Tablets – Treating Drug Resistant TB......................................... 113
HarmonyOs .................................................................................................. 113
Parker Solar Probe – Completion of One Year ............................................... 113
Biosimilar Medicines .................................................................................... 114
Piggery Development Project – Meghalaya .................................................... 114
Chandrayaan -2: In Moon’s Orbit .................................................................. 114
Measuring Inter Planetary Shock .................................................................. 115
Fedor Robot ................................................................................................. 116
A New Planet for Beta Pictoris ...................................................................... 116
World’s first space-based automatic identification system (AIS) ................... 117
IIT Jodhpur - hydrogen sensor ..................................................................... 118
Waterproofing material using fly ash ............................................................ 119
Mars Sun Earth in Same Line: Solar Conjunction ......................................... 119
Images sent by Chandrayaan -2 .................................................................... 120
Why No Viral Infections in a Bacteria? - Molecular Scissors ......................... 120
ENVIRONMENT................................................................................................................................... 121
e- cars in Indian Army .................................................................................. 121
BS VI Norms Exception ................................................................................ 122
Canine Distemper – Dogs to Tigers ............................................................... 122
Greenland lost 11 billion tons of ice ............................................................. 122
Advanced Air Pollution Predictors ................................................................ 123
Arctic Wildfires ............................................................................................ 123
World Water Crisis ........................................................................................ 124
India’s Proposals to CITES ........................................................................... 124
Irrigation and Changing Rainfall Patterns..................................................... 125
Tiger Census 2018........................................................................................ 126
National Policy on Efficient Management of Resources ................................ 126
First Global Analysis of Nematodes............................................................... 126
PET Bottles .................................................................................................. 127
Decline in Global Freshwater Animals .......................................................... 127
Geographical Indication (GI) Tag .................................................................. 128
Stubble Burning ........................................................................................... 129
Largest Anthropogenic So2 Emitter - India ................................................... 129
First Dead Glacier of Iceland - Okjokull Glacier ............................................ 130
Illegal Trade in Tiger .................................................................................... 130
Harmful Nitrates – Girl Infants ..................................................................... 131
Amazon Forest Fires .................................................................................... 131
Global Coal Usage ......................................................................................... 132
India’s Air Quality Monitoring Sensors ......................................................... 132
CoP-18 on CITES at Geneva.......................................................................... 132
Plastic to Waste – IIP, Dehradun ................................................................... 132
Rejuvenation of Degraded Land: 50 lakh hectares ........................................ 133
Gooty Tarantula Spiders – Gingee, TN .......................................................... 133
STATES .................................................................................................................................................. 134
AMBIS Biometric Criminal Tracking System in Mumbai ............................... 134
Mobile Library Buses in Delhi ....................................................................... 134
The Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Bill, 2019 .................... 134
Assam’s Maijan Gold Tea - New world record ................................................ 135
 Kosi-Mechi River Interlinking Project .......................................................... 135
Rajasthan Honour Killing and Mob Lynching Bill .......................................... 136
Haryana Control of Organised Crime Bill, 2019 ............................................ 136
Uniform Civil Code in Goa ............................................................................ 136
Tripura – National Liberation Front of Twipra ............................................... 136
Tribal Welfare measures in Madhya Pradesh ................................................. 137
Gogabeel Lake .............................................................................................. 137
Reservation in Chhattisgarh ......................................................................... 137
India's first underwater train – Kolkatta ....................................................... 138
Small Savings Incentive Scheme – Odisha .................................................... 138
Mukhya Mantri Krishi Ashirwad Yojana – Jharkhand .................................... 138
Bunker Museum ........................................................................................... 139
UP Tree Planation Drive ............................................................................... 139
Jung-e-Azadi Memorial ................................................................................. 140
Aadi Mahotsav .............................................................................................. 140
New Education Model ................................................................................... 141
Madhya Pradesh – Latest Legislative Council ................................................ 141
Chilika and Ansupa lakes – Odisha ............................................................... 142
Kutch Desert – A Former Tropical Forest ..................................................... 143
Amazon at Hyderabad .................................................................................. 143
Highest ever rainfall in 70 years ................................................................... 143
Women Government Drivers ......................................................................... 143
Google and Telangana .................................................................................. 144
PERSONALITIES, AWARDS AND EVENTS .............................................................................. 145
Ravish Kumar – Magsaysay Award ................................................................ 145
World Debating Championship ..................................................................... 145
Sushma Swaraj passed away ......................................................................... 146
Vikram Sarabhai Journalism Award in Space Science, Technology and Research
.................................................................................................................... 146
Nobel Laureate Toni Morrison ...................................................................... 147
Book on Venkaih Naidu ................................................................................ 147
Vikram Sara Bhai – 100th Birth Anniversary ................................................ 148
National Youth Awards ................................................................................. 149
 Abdul Kalam Award to K. Sivan .................................................................... 150
Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Awards .................................................................. 150
Maharishi Badrayan vyas Samman ............................................................... 151
Prasar Bharti’s 2 New Awards ....................................................................... 152
Eminent Engineer Award- Prabhakar Singh .................................................. 152
Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award 2018 .......................................... 152
Pushkin Award – Professor Meeta Narain ...................................................... 153
IndTokyo ...................................................................................................... 153
Distinguished Fellowship of IOD ................................................................... 154
National Sports Awards 2019 and National Adventure Awards 2018 ............. 155
Lalit Kala Akademi – 65th Foundation Day ................................................... 158
UEFA Awards ................................................................................................ 158
Amrita Pritam – Google Doodle ..................................................................... 159
First astronaut in 2022 – Pakistan ............................................................... 159
We Care Film Fest ........................................................................................ 160
Yoga Awards ................................................................................................. 160
SPORTS ................................................................................................................................................. 161
Biel International Chess Festival .................................................................. 161
Para World Cup............................................................................................. 162
Vinesh Phogat – Wrestling Tournament ........................................................ 162
Transgenders Cricketers in Australia ............................................................ 162
BCCI – National Anti-Doping Agency............................................................. 163
Hasim Amla retirement ................................................................................ 163
Wrestler Deepak Punia – Junior World Champion ......................................... 164
Ultimate Table Tennis Title .......................................................................... 164
Junior Track Cycling World Championships ................................................. 164
Para Swimmer Satendra Singh Lohia ............................................................ 165
3rd Nation’s Cup 2019 ................................................................................. 165
South Asian Spelling Bee contest ................................................................. 166
PV Sindhu - BWF World Championships ........................................................ 167
First Substitute Player in Test Match ........................................................... 167
129th Durand Cup – Kerala Team Wins ........................................................ 168
Shooting World Cup - Elavenil Valarivan....................................................... 168
 Manasi Joshi – Para Badminton .................................................................... 169
Vismaya – 400m gold.................................................................................... 169
IMPORTANT DAYS ............................................................................................................................ 170
Scout Scarf Day - August 01 ......................................................................... 170
World Breastfeeding Week - August 1 to 7 .................................................... 170
National handloom day – August 7................................................................ 171
International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples – August 9 ................... 171
World Biofuel Day ......................................................................................... 172
World Lung Cancer Day – August 1 ............................................................... 172
World Wide Web Day – August 1 .................................................................... 173
International Cat Day – August 8 .................................................................. 174
National Deworming Day – August 8 ............................................................. 174
Nagasaki Day – August 9 ............................................................................... 175
World Lion Day – August 10 .......................................................................... 175
World Elephant Day – August 12................................................................... 176
International Youth Day (IYD) – August 12 ................................................... 176
National Librarian's Day – August 12 ............................................................ 177
International lefthanders Day – August 13.................................................... 178
World Organ Donation Day – August 13 ........................................................ 178
World Honey Bee Day – August 17 ................................................................ 179
World Humanitarian Day – August 19 ........................................................... 179
World Photograph Day – August 19 ............................................................... 180
World Mosquito Day – August 20 .................................................................. 180
Sadbhavana Diwas (Communal Harmony Day) – August 20 ........................... 181
International Day of Remembrance and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism –
August 21 ..................................................................................................... 181
World Senior Citizen’s Day – August 21 ........................................................ 181
Madras Day - August 22 ................................................................................ 182
International Day for Victims of Acts of Violence based on Religion or Belief –
August 22 ..................................................................................................... 183
International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition -
23 August ..................................................................................................... 183
International Day against Nuclear Tests – August 29 .................................... 183
National Sports Day – August 29 .................................................................. 184
 International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances - August 30 .... 184
National Small Industry Day – August 30 ...................................................... 185
MISCELLANEOUS .............................................................................................................................. 185
Tourism till 9 PM ......................................................................................... 185
LAFA competition ........................................................................................ 185
Arun Jaitley passed away ............................................................................. 186
 TNPSC BITS
❖ The Union Minister for Culture Prahlad Singh Patel has announced the inclusion
of Nepali and Santhali languages in the Scheme for grant of Senior/Junior
Fellowships of Culture Ministry.
o Centre for Cultural Resources and Training (CCRT), New Delhi is the Nodal
institute for handling the Scheme of Sr. /Jr. Fellowship till selection
process.
❖ Atish Dabholkar, a theoretical physicist from India, has been appointed as the
new director of Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP)
in Trieste, Italy.
o Mr. Dabholkar will take up his duties as ICTP director with the rank of
Assistant Director General of the UNESCO.
❖ Wing Commander Tarun Chaudhri became the first Indian Air Force (IAF) pilot
to do a wingsuit jump from a Mi-17 helicopter from an altitude of 8500 feet.
o He attempted the jump during Kargil Diwas celebrations in Jodhpur on
July 21.
❖ Sri Lankan Government has exempted Indian tourists from Visa Fees for tourism
purposes with effect from 1 August 2019.
❖ Infosys has launched its state-of-the-art Cyber Defence Center in Bucharest,
Romania.
o This Defence Center will provide Real-Time, End-To-End, 24×7 Cyber
Security monitoring and protection services.
❖ The eighth annual plastic collection drive has commenced at Vembanad Lake,
Kerala.
o It is a designated Ramsar site and one of the most polluted waterbodies in
the world.
❖ Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has launched a country-wide tree planting
exercise named as “Green Legacy Initiative”.
o Under the initiative more than 350 million trees were planted in a single
day and it is claimed to be a world record.
❖ Delhi State Government has announced free Electricity for people who consume
upto 200 units. People who consume between 201 and 400 units would also be
given a 50% subsidy by the state government.
❖ IIT – Kharagpur has developed a new technology for solid waste management
termed “Hydro Thermal Carbonization (HTC)”.
 o HTC technology can convert municipal solid waste to biofuel, soil
amendment and absorbents. This Technology can be used by civic bodies
to effectively manage solid waste.
❖ India's Vivek Kohli and M P Singh have been elected as chairman and secretary
general respectively of the Commonwealth Table Tennis Federation (CTTF).
o The current President of CTTF is Dushyant Chautala. It is for the first time
that all the three positions in CTTF are held by Indians.
❖ The first State-level accreditation agency in the country, the State Assessment
and Accreditation Centre (SAAC), has been operationalised for higher education
institutions in Kerala.
o 3 State-specific parameters are included for accreditation - social
inclusiveness, equity and excellence, and steps to foster scientific
temper and secular outlook.
❖ Scientists in Japan will begin trying to grow human organs in animals after
receiving government permission for the first study of its kind in the country.
o They will employ xenotransplantation technique. Xenotransplantation
or heterologous transplant is the transplantation of living cells, tissues
or organs from one species to another.
❖ Girraj Prasad Gupta has been appointed as the Controller General of Accounts
(CGA) with effect from August 1, 2019.
❖ Bhasha Mukherjee, a 23-year-old Indian origin doctor was crowned Miss England
2019.
❖ President Ram Nath Kovind inaugurated exhibitions on Mahatma Gandhi and
Khadi at the “Ebunjan Theatre” in the Gambia to commemorate the 150th birth
anniversary of the Mahatma Gandhi.
❖ In Jammu and Kashmir, the 43-day-long Machail Mata Yatra in Kishtwar district
was suspended due to security reasons.
o Machail Mata is a Goddess Durga shrine located at Machail, Kishtwar
District of Jammu region in India.
❖ Addressing the 10th MGC Ministerial Meeting in Bangkok, External Affairs
Minister S Jaishankar has emphasised on better connectivity between India and
other member countries of the Mekong Ganga Cooperation (MGC) bloc.
o It is a sub-regional cooperation organisation comprising India and five
ASEAN countries, namely, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and
Vietnam.
❖ NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) mission has discovered GJ
357 d, a super-Earth planet located 31 light years away from our own solar
system.
❖ India’s Satwik sairaj Ranki reddy and Chirag Shetty scripted a piece of history
by beating reigning World champions Li Jun Hui and Liu Yu Chen, in the men’s
doubles final of the Thailand Open badminton championship in Bangkok.
❖ TN Chief Minister inaugurated the Karur Government Medical College on 31 July
2019.
o It is the 23rd government medical college in the State and First medical
college in Karur district.
❖ Atish Dabholkar, a theoretical physicist from India has been appointed as the
new director of Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP)
in Trieste, Italy.
❖ French inventor Franky Zapata successfully crossed English Channel, between
France and England, on a jet-powered hoverboard for the 1st time.
o Flyboard Air is a board powered by four turbo jet engines that allows a
rider to fly through air untethered, using a computer to keep it
stabilized.
❖ Authorities at the Arignar Anna Zoological Park, Vandalur have brought a four-
year-old Rhino from Kaziranga National Park in Assam as part of an animal
exchange programme.
o The zoo was started in the year 1985 and had one rhino then. But it
died in 1989.
❖ IIT-Guwahati team has developed a “portable device” with bio-compatible sensor
to detect bacteria “without the time-consuming cell culture or microbiological
assays”. It can be used to diagnose critical illnesses such as meningitis.
o Such a rapid detection of bacteria, is not just important in healthcare,
but also in Anti- bioterrorism measures and environmental monitoring.
❖ Securities and Exchange Board of India has approved Singapore Stock Exchange
and National Stock Exchange of India Ltd to operate jointly in Gujarat
International Finance Tec-City, Gandhinagar.
o The two entities will create a new platform for trading called NSE
International Financial Service Centre (IFSC)-SGX Connect.
❖ Hiroshima Day is observed on 6th August. It commemorates 6 August 1945, the
day when an atomic bomb (Little Boy) was dropped from the Enola Gay Airplane
on the Japanese city of Hiroshima.
o The day is now a focus for anti-war and anti-nuclear discussions and
demonstrations.
❖ The Lalit Kala Akademi, also known as National Academy of Art celebrated its
65th Foundation Day in New Delhi. Minister of Culture & Tourism Prahlad Singh
Patel inaugurated the celebrations.
❖ According to Forbes, 23-times Grand Slam champion Serena Williams has
become the highest paid female athlete of 2019.
o Japanese player Naomi Osaka’s recent Grand Slam title wins at the US
and Australian Opens has catapulted her to second spot.
❖ The United States has designated China a "Currency Manipulator", thus fulfilling
Donald Trump’s election campaign promise.
o The US treasury department accused China of manipulating its
currency “to gain unfair competitive advantage in international trade”.
❖ The 77th anniversary of the Quit India Movement was observed on 8 August.
o On this date in 8 Aug 1942, Mahatma Gandhi gave a clarion call to end
the British rule and launched the Quit India Movement at the Bombay
session of the All-India Congress Committee.
❖ Saudi Arabia has announced a change in its law that will allow women to obtain
passports and travel internationally without being escorted by a male “guardian”.
This system was known as Guardianship system.
❖ 9-year old ‘Valentina Elangbam’ of Manipur's Kakching district has been
appointed as Green Ambassador for the State government’s Green Manipur
Mission.
o She had planted 2 Gulmohar tress few years back. These were cut
down for road expansion. The kid kept crying inconsolably in a Face
Book post and the issue was brought to the attention of Chief Minister.
❖ The Virasat-e-Khalsa museum in Punjab’s Anandpur Sahib town will enter Asian
Book of Records soon for becoming the most visited museum in the Asian sub-
continent on a single day. 20,569 visitors came on March 20,2019 alone.
o Virasat-e-Khalsa was built to commemorate the history and culture of
Punjab and Sikhism and was inaugurated in November 2011.
❖ Former U.S. Ambassador to Cambodia and President, World Food Prize
Foundation, Kenneth M. Quinn received the Dr. M.S. Swaminathan Award for
Environment Protection.
❖ President Ram Nath Kovind has given his assent to the legislation for bifurcation
of Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories on 09.08.19.
o The Union Territories Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh will come into
existence on October 31. It is the birth anniversary of Sardar
Vallabhbhai Patel.
❖ The President of India, Ram Nath Kovind, presented Bharat Ratna Awards to
Nanaji Deshmukh (posthumously), Bhupendra Kumar Hazarika (posthumously)
and Pranab Mukherjee on August 08, 2019 at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
❖ The Tamil Nadu State Education Department has launched a pilot scheme that
focuses on offering online resources called “Matific” App to enhance the
mathematical learning of students studying in elementary schools.
o Matific provides students with engaging problem-solving tasks that will
contribute to the holistic development of their mathematical learning.
❖ The Khadi and Village Industry Commission (KVIC) has launched “Leather
Mission” on 2019 World Indigenous Peoples' Day (August 9). It will distribute
leather kits to the leather artisans across the nation.
❖ Chandrima Shaha is set to be the 1st woman president of the Indian National
Science Academy. Her tenure will begin from January 2020.
o She was formerly the Director of the National Institute of Immunology,
Delhi.
❖ India’s first ‘health credit card’ has been launched by private sector bank RBL
and digital healthcare platform Practo. It can be used for like online consultations
with doctors and a free health check-up.
❖ Indian Badminton star Sourabh Verma clinched the Men’s Singles title in the
Hyderabad Open. He beat Singapore’s Loh Kean Yew in the final clash.
❖ Bajrang Punia defeated Iran’s Peiman Bibyani in the 65kg category and won his
fourth Gold medal of the season at the Grand Prix Wrestling tournament held at
Tbilsi, Georgia.
❖ The Israeli spacecraft called “Beresheet” crashed onto the Moon in April. It carried
dehydrated microscopic lifeforms known as tardigrades which are supposedly
still alive in moon.
o Tardigrades are among the most resilient animals known, with
individual species being able to survive in extreme conditions.
❖ Delhi-Lahore bus service has been stopped. It was started in 1999 under
Vajpayee’s rule.
❖ India beat Bangladesh and won the Under-19 Tri-Series cricket tournament held
at England under the captaincy of Pavan Shah.
❖ The 2019 Rogers cup was won by Bianca Andreescu (Women’s) and Rafael Nadal
(5th Time) at Montreal, Canada.
❖ Tamilnadu was the only and the first state government in India to have included
‘bariatric surgery’ under TN Chief Minister’s comprehensive health insurance
scheme. More than 100 people have benefitted till now.
❖ The Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) and Jammu and Kashmir Trade
Promotion Organisation (JKTPO) have announced that a three-day “global
investors summit” will be held in Srinagar from October 12.
❖ To improve standards of law education, the Bar Council of India (BCI) has
imposed a ‘3-year moratorium’ on opening of new institutions except for national
law universities (NLUs), if proposed by a state.
o BCI is a statutory body established by Parliament under the Advocates
Act, 1961 to regulate and represent Indian bar.
❖ The Pacific island nation of Papua New Guinea has the highest number of 'living'
indigenous languages in the world (840), while India stands fourth with 453.
o The year 2019 is designated as United Nations’ International Year of
Indigenous Languages.
❖ Rajasthan has won the “best innovation and initiative leadership award” for its
achievements in higher education in the World Education Summit-2019 held in
New Delhi.
❖ India’s transsexual woman Naaz Joshi was crowned for third successive time in
the beauty pageant “Miss World Diversity” held at Mauritius.
❖ Iran has unveiled three precision-guided air-air missiles: Yasin", "Balaban" and
the "Ghaem".
❖ Scientists from University of Leeds, UK have reportedly created the world’s
thinnest gold which is just 0.47 nanometres. It is a 2D object because it is made
of just 2 atoms.
❖ Alejandro Giammattei became the New President of Guatemala after winning the
election in the second round against Sandra Torres.
❖ Singapore said that it will impose ban on Domestic sale of Ivory from 2021.
❖ As per the recent report of World Health Organization, Sri Lanka is the fourth
country in the WHO South-East Asia Region, after Bhutan, Maldives, and Timor-
Leste, to eliminate measles and control rubella.
❖ In the recent ODI match against West Indies, Virat Kohli scored his 42nd century
and became the second highest Indian run-getter by surpassing Sourav Ganguly
(11363). Now Kohli is behind Sachin Tendulkar.
❖ The former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh filed his nomination as the Congress
candidate for the by-election to the Rajya Sabha for the first time from Rajasthan.
He was a Rajya Sabha member from Assam for five consecutive terms between
1991 and 2019.
❖ Information and Broadcasting Ministry has decided to implement Accessibility
Standards for Persons with Disabilities in “private television channel
programmes” from this Independence Day.
 o As a first step, they had been asked to telecast a short programme on
Independence Day Celebrations along with corresponding sign language
interpretation.
❖ West Bengal’s Priyam Chatterjee became the 1st Indian chef to be awarded the
prestigious ‘Chevalier de l’Ordre du Mérite Agricoleto’ by the government of
France.
o He is famous for creating French cuisines out of Bengali dishes.
❖ Andhra Pradesh government has announced a scheme called “Village Volunteers
System” which is aimed at providing Government services at doorsteps of people.
❖ Harshad Pandurang Thakur has been appointed as Director of National Institute
of Health and Family Welfare. Decision in this regard was taken by Appointments
Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) chaired by Prime Minister.
❖ A rare variety of tea named ‘Golden Butterfly’ from Upper Assam’s Dikom Tea
Estate set a new record on as it was auctioned for Rs.75,000 per kg at Guwahati
Tea Auction Centre (GTAC).
❖ Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar released a
patriotic song titled Watan in New Delhi to mark the occasion of Independence
Day 2019.
o The special song has been created by public service broadcaster
Doordarshan (DD) and Prasar Bharati for Independence Day.
❖ Australian all-rounder Ellyse Perry has become the first cricketer of either gender
to reach the rare milestone of scoring 1000 runs and taking 100 wickets in T20
international cricket.
❖ The ‘QS Best Student Cities Ranking’ has been compiled by global education
consultancy QS Quacquarelli Symonds. London has been named as the world’s
best city for students for the second consecutive year, followed by Tokyo and
Melbourne.
o Bengaluru (81st rank) is ranked as India’s best student city.
❖ World Lizard day is observed on August 14.

❖ The AIIMS-Delhi has launched a first-of-its-kind clinical ecotoxicology facility in

India. The centre will be used to investigate increasing cases of diseases resulting
from exposure to environmental toxins contaminating water, food and air.
❖ The two day long 22nd National Conference on E-Governance has been
conducted at Shillong, Meghalaya.
❖ Palaeontologists have found the ‘fossils’ of the largest parrot ever recorded in New
Zealand. It is estimated to have weighed 7 kg.
 o The new species has been named “Heracles inexpectatus” to reflect its
unusual size and strength and the unexpected nature of the discovery.
❖ The Karnataka IT department has launched a scheme called “E-Step” for
students/start-ups/entrepreneurs to understand the basics of entrepreneurship
from ‘experienced trainers’.
❖ The third International Electric Vehicles and charging infrastructure Conclave
was held at new Delhi.
❖ Ravi Shastri has been reappointed head coach of the men's senior national team
by the Indian cricket board (BCCI) for an extended two-year term that will
conclude in November 2021.
❖ Thailand women's cricket team has created a world record by winning its 17th
successive T20 international match. This is the highest number of consecutive
wins by any team (both men and women) in T20 format.
❖ India’s Varun Kapur has won bronze medal at the Bulgarian Junior International
Badminton Championships 2019, which took place at Pazardzhik, Bulgaria.
❖ Aishwarya Pissay created history by becoming the first Indian to claim a World
Title in motorsports. She lifted the FIM World Cup in the women’s category in
Hungary.
o The event was conducted by International Motorcycling Federation, the
governing body for motorcycle racing in the world.
❖ German cancer researcher Fiona Kolbinger has become the 1st woman to win
one of the world’s toughest cycling races (4,000 km). The race was held between
Bulgaria and France.
❖ Air India becomes first Indian airline to fly over North Pole. The Air India flight
from Delhi to San Francisco usually flies over the Atlantic or the Pacific Ocean
but on August 15, it flew over zero degree north.
❖ Anupam Kher’s autobiography “Lessons Life Taught Me, unknowingly” was
recently released in India.
❖ Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik inaugurated the Naval Tata Hockey Academy
(NTHA) at Kalinga Stadium in in Bhubaneswar.
❖ P.Ramyalakshmi, Assistant Director, Fisheries, Cuddalore has received the Tamil
Nadu Government’s Kalpana Chawla Award 2019 for her exemplary courage and
daring enterprise in taking on the illegal practice of “purse seine fishing”.
o Purse seine fishing deprives traditional fishermen of catch and threatens
the marine ecosystem as a whole in the region.
❖ Union Minister of State for Shipping Mansukh Mandaviya has announced that
country’s first Central Institute of Chemical Engineering and Technology (CICET)
will be established in Gujarat.
❖ The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has fixed the retirement age for all Central
Armed Police Force (CAPF) personnel at 60 years.
o Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Assam Rifles, Central Reserve
Police Force (CRPF), Border Security Force (BSF), Indo-Tibetan Border
Police (ITBP) and Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) together form CAPF.
❖ A new species of Jharkhand’s burrowing frog has been confirmed and published
in Records of the Zoological Survey of India.
o It is named as Spahaerotheca Magadha and commonly called as ‘Magadha
Burrowing Frog’. It was discovered in 2015.
❖ Vice President inauguaretd and dedicated to the nation ‘Shyamali House’ which
is a heritage house of Rabindranth Tagore located in Santiniketan.
o Shyamali was a mud house which was built by local Santhals of
Santiniketan in 1934.
❖ According to the first-ever global assessment of ‘forest biodiversity’ by World Wide
Fund for Nature (WWF) there has been a 53 per cent decline in the number of
forest wildlife populations since 1970.
o The new findings were based on the Forest Specialist Index, an index that
tracks wildlife that lives only in forests.
❖ August 19th is observed as International Orangutan Day.
❖ Tamilnadu government has won three awards for excellence under Union
Government’s Poshan Abiyaan scheme.
o Poshan Abiyaan is a multi-ministerial convergence mission to attain
malnutrition-free India and was launched in 2017.
❖ In a first in the history of Indian Metro rail projects, Pune Metro will get
aluminium-bodied coaches. Thus far, Metros in the country have used stainless
steel-bodied coaches.
o Aluminium coaches are lighter in weight, more energy efficient and have
better aesthetics and will be manufactured in Kolkatta.
❖ The 9-Day National Tribal Festival “Aadi Mahotsav” is being held at Polo Ground,
Leh-Ladakh from 17th August. It is organised jointly by Ministry of Tribal Affairs,
Government of India & Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of
India (TRIFED).
❖ Akilesh Ranjan Task Force for drafting a New Direct Tax Legislation has
submitted its report and a draft of the new proposed version of the Income-tax
law to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
❖ Clinical trials conducted amid an Ebola epidemic in the Democratic Republic of
Congo (DRC) have identified two new drugs that can dramatically cut mortality
from the disease - REGN-EB3 and mAb114.
❖ Researchers from Dresden University, Germany have developed a new self-
calibrating, lens-less endoscope that produces three-dimensional (3D) images of
objects smaller than a single cell.
❖ In the run-up to the UNFCC Conference of Parties (COP-25) meet to be held on
December 2019, the BASIC countries (Brazil, South Africa, India and China) has
held its 28th Ministerial meeting on Climate Change from 14th to 16th August,
2019 at Sao Paulo, Brazil.
❖ South Korea's Lee Duck-hee has become the ‘first deaf player’ to win a match in
the main draw of a tournament on the ATP Tour.
o He beat Switzerland's Henri Laaksonen at the Winston-Salem Open in
North Carolina, USA.
❖ The 9th Session of the India-Kenya Joint Trade Committee (JTC) was held on
19th – 20th August 2019 in New Delhi.
❖ The one-day National Conference of Tourism Ministers was organised by the
Union Ministry of Tourism at New Delhi on 20 August 2019.
❖ India’s Prashant Gade has won the NCPEDP MPHASIS Universal Design Award
2019 for developing low cost prosthetic arm called as “Inali Arm”.
❖ To strengthen enforcement of the ban on production and sale of electronic
cigarettes, Karnataka government has included “nicotine” under its Class A
poison category.
o Highly toxic chemicals, which are dangerous to life even in very small
quantities such as cyanogen, hydrocyanic acid, nitrogen peroxide, and
phosgene are classified as Class A poisons in Karnataka.
❖ A startup from California Cerebras Systems has developed the biggest processor
in the world, which consists of 1.2 trillion transistors. It is called the Cerebras
Wafer Scale Engine.
❖ Every year, August 21 is observed as World Entrepreneurs' Day, a day to
celebrate innovation and empowerment of entrepreneurship and leadership.
❖ The chief minister of Punjab has launched a universal health insurance scheme
called “Sarbat Sehat Bima Yojana” which covers pre-existing disease also and
benefits nearly 46 lakh families.
❖ Former Additional Commissioner of Police and a current member of the BCCI’s
Anti-Corruption Unit, B.N.S. Reddy has won the gold medal at the World Police
and Fire Games tournament, held in Chengdu, China.
❖ The recent excavation carried out by Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) at
Maharashtra’s Phupgaon has revealed evidence of an Iron Age settlement in the
Vidarbha region.
o The site is situated near Purna river, which is a tributary of Tapi.
❖ Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and tennis player Sania Mirza will be
among co-chairs for India Economic Summit to be held in October by the World
Economic Forum.
❖ Former Indian opener Vikram Rathour has been appointed as team India’s new
batting coach. He will replace Sanjay Bangar. While Bharath Arun and R. Sridhar
were retained as bowling and fielding coaches.
❖ M. Mansoor Ali, a social science teacher at Diamond Jubilee Higher Secondary
School in Gobichettipalayam and R. Selvakkannan, Headmaster of Panchayat
Union Primary School at K. Paramathi in Karur have been selected from the State
for the National award for best teachers for 2018.
❖ Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate change (MoEFCC) has
decided to ‘waive off’ or relax mandatory charging of lease rent of Rs.30,000 per
Mega Watt (MW) for wind power projects.
❖ Prahlad Singh Patel, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Culture
and Tourism has launched the book ‘The Diary of Manu Gandhi’ (1943-44),
translated from Gujarati by Tridip Suhrud.
o The book has been brought out on occasion of 150th birth anniversary of
Mahatma Gandhi by National Archives of India in collaboration with
Oxford University Press.
❖ Bollywood Actor Akshay Kumar has made it to the 4th position on the Forbes
magazine’s World’s Highest-Paid Actors Of 2019 list. He has earned $65 million.
Top paid actor is Dwayne ‘Rock’ Johnson.
❖ The President of India, Ram Nath Kovind, inaugurated the first World Youth
Conference on Kindness in New Delhi on August 23, 2019.
o It is organised by the UNESCO Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education
for Peace and Sustainable Development, Ministry of Human Resource
Development.
❖ Prime Minister Modi has launched redevelopment project of the 200-year-old Sri
Krishna temple in Manama, Bahrain.
❖ Prime Minister Modi has been honored with two prestigious state awards from
monarchs in Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
 o From Bahrain: The King Hamad Order of the Renaissance and from UAE:
Order of Zayed.
❖ Nigeria has become the first country to approve open cultivation of genetically
modified (GM) Bt cowpea. Earlier, Nigeria and Ethiopia had also approved GM
cotton.
❖ Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani inducted domestically built ‘Bavar-373 air
missile defense system’ into their military.
❖ The Indian team of Sukhbeer Singh, Sangampreet Singh Bisla and Tushar
Phadtare clinched a ‘bronze medal’ in the junior compound men’s team event in
the World Archery Youth Championships in Madrid, Spain.
❖ India’s ‘Statue of Unity’ and ‘Soho House’ in Mumbai have been featured in the
Time’s list of 100 greatest places in the world. The list is divided into places to
visit, to stay and to eat and drink.
❖ An advanced neurosurgery unit was inaugurated at Cauvery Hospital in Chennai.
It will provide comprehensive and advanced neuro and spine treatment using 3D
and robotic technology.
❖ India has contributed $1 million to United Nation Special Purpose Trust Fund
(SPTF) for Resident Coordinator System.
❖ In a first for Karnataka, it will have three Deputy Chief Ministers – Govind M.
Karjola, Dr Ashwath Narayana and Laxman Savadi have been named as deputy
CMs in Yediyurappa's cabinet.
❖ The Union Minister for Textiles, Smriti Irani launched Project SURE, a move
towards sustainable fashion at Lakmé Fashion Winter/Festive 2019, in Mumbai.
o SURE stands for ‘Sustainable Resolution’ a commitment from the industry
to move towards fashion that contributes to a clean environment.
❖ In a massive push for women hygiene, the Union government will slash price of
sanitary napkins sold from its Jan Aushadhi Kendras to just Re 1 per piece from
Rs 2.50 currently.
o The biodegradable sanitary napkins 'Suvidha' will be available at the
subsidised price at designated centres from August 27, 2019.
❖ India’s first woman Director General of Police (DGP), 1973-batch IPS Officer
Kanchan Chaudhary Bhattacharya has passed away. She made history when she
was appointed the DGP of Uttarakhand in the year 2004.
o She was also the second woman IPS officer in the country.
❖ In its new Industrial Policy, Maharashtra government has put in place a new
‘sons-of-the-soil’ clause which mandates 80% jobs for the locals. Companies not
adhering to the clause will have their GST incentives cancelled.
❖ 10th bus service between India and Nepal has been launched. It connects Siliguri
in West Bengal with Kathmandu.
❖ U.S. space agency NASA is investigating what may be the ‘first crime committed
in outer space’.
o Astronaut Anne McClain is accused of identity theft and improperly
accessing her estranged wife's private financial records while being aboard
International Space Station (ISS).
❖ Madurai-based J Dhaanya Thasnem was declared as one among three students
to go on an educational tour to National Aeronautics and Space Administration
(NASA) and interact with astronauts there.
o The class 10 student bagged the opportunity after winning the National
Space Science Contest 2019.
❖ The Supreme Court has decided to examine the “legal challenge” against the
Centre's decision to abrogate Article 370, which gave special status to Jammu
and Kashmir.
o It has referred the matter to a five-judge Constitution bench.
❖ Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilisers D. V. Sadananda Gowda has
launched a mobile application called “Jan Aushadhi Sugam”. It is to enable
people search their nearest Jan Aushadhi generic medicine stores.
❖ In a bid to encourage Good Samaritans, the Puducherry government has
announced a cash award of Rs 5,000 to those rushing road accident victims to
hospitals and helping save lives.
❖ Union Government has notified 63 provisions of the Motor Vehicles Amendment
Act 2019 including the ones dealing with enhanced penalties for various traffic
offences. The new clauses will come into effect from September 1st, 2019.
❖ Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated the ‘26th Ladakhi Kisan Jawan
Vigyan Mela’ organised by Defence Institute of High-Altitude Research in Leh.
❖ Prominent economist Abdalla Hamdok has taken charge as the new Prime
Minister of Sudan.
❖ Constable Monali Jadhav from Maharashtra won three medals, including two
golds, at the recently concluded World Police and Fire Games International
Championship held in Chengdu, China.
❖ The Tamil Nadu government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with
Kings College Hospital, London, to set up its branch in the state.
 TAMIL NADU

Water ATM at Nilgiris

❖ Nilgiris district administration has installed Water ATMs at 70 locations popular
with tourists.
❖ The ban on sale of plastic water bottles and soft drinks along highways running
through Nilgiris will come into effect from August 15.
❖ Tourists can collect water from ATMs at a nominal price.

TN ambitious Bus Rapid Transit System

❖ Tamil Nadu government has revived the ambitious Bus Rapid Transit System
(BRTS) along seven key stretches in Chennai.
❖ BRTS will encompass:
o Old Mahabalipuram Road,
o GST Road,
o The stretch between Koyambedu and Poonamallee, and
o Chromepet-Thoraipakkam Road.
❖ BRTS combines the flexibility and affordability of buses with the efficiency and
quality of metro rail.
Three bio-CNG plants - Chennai
❖ Greater Chennai Corporation will set up three bio-CNG plants that will bottle
compressed natural gas produced from bio waste.
❖ They will be set up at Pallikaranai, Sholinganallur and the abandoned asphalt
complex in Anna Nagar.
❖ The plants will be set up in private-public partnership where the private company
will be in charge of manufacturing and maintenance of the facility.
❖ Bio-CNG can replace CNG as an automotive fuel (for CNG buses and tractors)
and LPG for cooking purposes, as well as to power street lights.
V.O. Chidambaranar Port Creates Record
❖ V.O. Chidambaram Port created a new record by handling 1,80,597 Metric
Tonnes of cargo in a single day on 27th July,2019.
❖ It is surpassing the previous single day record of 1,77,639 Metric Tonnes on 16th
November, 2017.
❖ Earlier, on 25th July, 2019, the port had set another record by handling a vessel
with highest parcel size of 85,224 Tonnes, when the Cyprus vessel ‘MV KMAX
EMPEROR’ arrived from UAE.
❖ The highest parcel size handled by the port before this was the vessel 'MV SFAKIA
WAVE' with 84,502 tonnes of limestones on 11th February, 2019.

Health Insurance in Tamilnadu

❖ As per data from the Union health ministry, Tamil Nadu has the maximum
number of families covered by national health insurance.
❖ At least 1.57 crore families in the state now have a cover of Rs 5 lakh a family.
❖ The state combined Tamil Nadu Chief minister’s Health Insurance program with
the Centre’s Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana.
❖ In Tamilnadu, the most commonly sought medical procedure under Insurance
was renal dialysis.

Compulsory Aadhar in TN Schools

❖ Tamilnadu School Education Department has announced that students who are
studying in government and government-aided schools must provide Aadhar card
details.
❖ Information including parents must be collected by the schools and uploaded in
Educational Management Information System (EMIS) portal managed by State
Government.
❖ The Aadhar registration and collection of these details for EMIS is done by
Samagra Shiksha, which is partly funded by the Union Government.

Heavy Rains at Nilgiris

❖ The Avalanche region in the Nilgiris has recorded 820 mm rainfall in the 24-
hour period till 08.08.19 and 2,136 mm in the 72 hours (09.08.19).
❖ It is claimed to be the highest in South India.
 ❖ In Tamilnadu, the previous highest rainfall recorded in a single day was at
Cuddalore, in 1943 - 570 mm of rain.
❖ In Western Ghats region, no maximum rain was recorded beyond 400 mm.
❖ In 2015, Sembarambakkam lake has received 470 mm rainfall.
❖ Mahabaleshwar, situated in the Western Ghats of Maharashtra, became the
wettest place in India after Mawsynram in Meghalaya.
❖ It recorded 6,031.5 mm rainfall between June 1 and August 8 of 2019.
❖ Mawsynram is the wettest place on Earth. It receives an average annual
rainfall of 11,872 mm.
❖ It is 15 km west of Cherrapunji. Earlier Cherrapunji was credited as the
wettest place on Earth.

Best Corporation and Municipalities in TN

❖ The Commission of Municipal Administration (CMA) has recommended Salem as
the best performing Corporation and Dharmapuri as the best performing
Municipality in the state.
❖ The recommendations were accepted by the State government and the towns will
get the Chief Minister’s Award.
❖ Vedaranyam and Aranthangi were selected as the second and third best
performing Municipalities
❖ In 2018, Tiruppur Corporation bagged the best performing Corporation Award
while Kovilpatti, Cumbum and Sirkazhi Municipalities bagged the top three best
performing Municipalities, respectively.

Kalaimamani Awards 2011-18

❖ Chief Minister presented the Kalaimamani awards to artistes for the years 2011
to 2018.
❖ He also announced that ‘three special Kalaimamani awards’ in the name of former
Chief Minister J.Jayalalithaa will be constituted and awarded annually.
❖ Financial assistance given to elderly artistes every month was increased from
₹2,000 to ₹3,000.
❖ As many as 201 recipients were selected from 72 different art forms for
Kalaimamani awards and 8 senior artistes were selected for a special cash award.
 Name of the Award Prominent Personalities

Bharathi Award Writer Sivasankari and Villupaatu exponent

Subbu Arumugam
Balasaraswathi Award Dance exponents C.V. Chandrasekar,
Vaijayanthimala Bali, V.P. Dhananjayan and
Shantha Dhananjayan
M.S. Subbulakshmi Carnatic musicians C. Saroja and C. Lalitha
Award (Bombay sisters) and T.V. Gopalakrishnan
Film Music Composers Yuvan Shankar Raja, Vijay Antony
Film Actors Vijay Sethupathi, Karthi, M.S. Baskar, Sasikumar,
Pandiarajan, Thambi Ramaiah, Srikanth, Nalini,
Soori

Palani Panchamirtham – GI Tag

❖ Palani panchamirtham, given as ‘prasadam’ at the Murugan temple there has
been granted the Geographical Indication (GI) tag.
❖ This is the first time a temple ‘prasadam’ from Tamil Nadu has been bestowed
with the GI tag.

Tirupattur, Ranipettai Districts

❖ Vellore district in Tamil Nadu will be divided into Vellore, Ranipet and Tirupattur
districts.
❖ With this, the total number of districts in the State will increase to 37.
❖ Vellore district was created in 1989 by bifurcating North Arcot district into Vellore
and Tiruvanamalai districts.
❖ In July 2019, Tenkasi and Chengalpet districts were created as separate districts
from Thirunelveli and Kanchipuram districts.

AMMA Patrol Vehicle

❖ It is a new novel scheme introduced in Tamil Nadu to help women, children, and
older adults.
❖ The patrol vans are to assist the special wing of police for the crimes against
women & children.
 ❖ All the complaints against them will be investigated by the special wing which is
attached to the all-women police stations.
❖ Patrol Vans will be under the All Women Police Stations.
❖ Aided by the state and central governments, these patrol vans will soon start from
patrolling Chennai.
❖ This vehicle will also have the display of 1091 and 1098 phone numbers.

Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) in Nungambakkam

❖ Chennai Regional Meteorological Centre in Nungambakkam is recognized by
World Meteorological Organization (WMO) for its impeccable work spanning more
than 100 years.
❖ It was among five stations in the country to receive the recognition.
❖ Others are Mumbai, Panjim (Goa), Pune and Trivandrum.
❖ Chennai meteorological centre is considered one of the first modern
astronomical-cum-meteorological observatory in the East.
About
❖ RMC was started as Madras observatory, the first astronomical observatory in
1786.
❖ It was a private facility set up at Egmore by William Petrie, an officer with the
East India company.
❖ In 1789, the observatory passed from Petrie’s private ownership to the East India
Company.
❖ Later that astronomical observatory was shifted to Kodaikanal.
 ❖ RMC was founded by Sir Charles Oakeley, the then Governor of Madras under
the East India Company in 1792.
❖ It was founded way before the establishment of the Indian Meteorological
Department in 1875.
❖ It is responsible for the weather-related activities of the southern Indian
peninsula comprising the states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka,
Kerala, Tamil Nadu and the union territories of Andaman and Nicobar,
Lakshadweep Islands and Puducherry.
❖ It is one of the six regional meteorological centres (RMCs) of the India
Meteorological Department (IMD).
❖ The other regional centres are located at Kolkata, Guwahati, Mumbai, Nagpur
and New Delhi.

Blue Glow in Chennai Beaches

❖ ‘Sea tinkle’ also known as bioluminescence was observed in Chennai beaches.
❖ Commonly known as sea tinkle, the Noctiluca algae were behind this
phenomenon.
❖ The algae exhibit the phenomenon of bioluminescence or biologically produce
light when disturbed.
❖ Then the light is produced by a chemical reaction in the presence of oxygen
involving an enzyme called “luciferase”.
❖ Goa, Mumbai and the backwaters of Kerala have already witnessed these algal
blooms.
❖ These algal patches are linked to coastal pollution.
TN CM’s Independence Day Awards
❖ The following awards were presented by the Tamil Nadu government on the
occasion of Independence Day.
Award
Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Award
Kalpana Chawla Award for
Courage and Daring Enterprise
Chief Minister’s Special Award
for Extraordinary Act of
Bravery
Best Practices Award
Award for Tax App
Exemplary Service for the
Welfare of the Differently-abled
Best Doctor Awards
Best Private Employer Award
Best Social Worker Award
Best cooperative bank award
Award for services rendered
towards the welfare of women.
Best institution for serving
women
Best Corporation
Best 3 Municipalities
Chief Minister’s State Youth
Award
Personality / Organisation
ISRO Chairman, K. Sivan
P. Ramyalakshmi
P. Shanmugavelu and his wife Senthamarai,
Kadayam, Thirunelveli for chasing away robbers.
1.Greater Chennai Police Commissionerate - for
installation of ‘Third Eye’ CCTV Cameras and
Facetagr App for crime detection
2. Department of Rural Development and
Panchayat Raj- for Naganathi River Rejuvenation
Project in Vellore district under MGNREGS.
Dept. of Commercial Taxes - For developing a
mobile app and establishing a 24x7 help desk to
provide assistance for migration to GST system
Opportunity School for Intellectually Disabled in
Vepery
Dr. V. Ramadevi of Government Kilpauk Medical
College and Dr. S. Vetrivel Chezian of
Government Coimbatore Medical College
Hospital
Everest Stabilizers Pvt. Ltd
Chandra Prasad, Pathway organisation
Salem District Central Cooperative Bank
M. Soosai Marian
Bothimaram, Salem
Salem
Dharmapuri, Vedaranyam and Aranthangi
P. Naveenkumar, M. Anandakumar, R.
Kalaivani
Invasive Plant Species in Mudumalai Tiger Reserve
❖ The Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR) which boasts the highest density of tiger
population in Tamil Nadu, is facing a threat from an invasive plant species named
“Cassia spectabilis (native of North America)”.
❖ MTR is already being eradicated of two other invasive species - lantana camara
and parthinium.
❖ For any alien species, the new soil, environment and the climatic condition would
work favourably.
❖ The food chain in the forest area gets disturbed by invasive species which prevent
germination of native species of plants, including grass.

M Sand
❖ Tamil Nadu plans to put in place an M-sand policy to promote its use as an
alternative building material and eliminate sub-standard products.
❖ Manufactured sand (M-Sand) is a substitute of river sand for concrete
construction.
❖ It is produced by crushing hard granite stones.
Advantages
❖ No organic and soluble compound that affects the setting time and properties of
cement.
❖ Less transportation cost as M-sand can be manufactured from nearby granite
rocks.
❖ Increased quality and durability of concrete due to absence of impurities.
❖ Available in various sizes.
Kalvi Tholaikkatchi
❖ Tamilnadu government has launched a TV Channel exclusively dedicated for
school students in the state.
❖ Named as ‘Kalvi Tholaikkatchi’, it will telecast programmes from 6 am to 9.30 pm
every day.
❖ Programmes will be based on board exam preparation for students, employment
news and opportunities for the youth and career-guidance information.
❖ The channel will be available on Tamil Nadu Arasu Cable TV and Thamizhaga
Cable TV Communication Private Limited.

Ecotoxicology Centre at SACON, Coimbatore

❖ Union Environment and Forest Minister Prakash Javadekar inaugurated the
National Centre for Avian Ecotoxicology at Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and
Natural Sciences (SACON), Anaikatti, near Coimbatore.
❖ SACON was formed in 1990.
❖ The Centre would study the harmful effects of environmental contaminants such
as pesticides, heavy metals and drugs on birds, which reach them through the
food chain.
❖ Ecotoxicological studies are important because ecological factors are unable to
explain continued mortality of birds.
❖ Example: the near extinction of vultures, from 40 million to nearly one thousand.

New law colleges

❖ Recently three new Government law colleges at Salem, Namakkal and Theni were
inaugurated by the Tamil Nadu State Government.
❖ These colleges will function under the Tamil Nadu Dr. Ambedkar Law University.
❖ With these 3 colleges, Tamil Nadu has 13 Government Law colleges in the state.

Special Grievance Redressal Scheme

❖ The Chief Minister Inaugurated Special Grievance Redressal Scheme at Vanavasi
and Konganapuram of Edappadi assembly constituency in Salem district.
❖ The complaints would be digitally recorded and sent to the departments
concerned, who will take action on the grievances within a month.
 ❖ While the scheme was inaugurated in Edappadi, it will be implemented in all the
234 assembly constituencies.

STAR 2.0
❖ The Chief Minister of Tamilnadu commissioned the extended services under
Simplified and Transparent Administration of Registration - STAR 2.0 Project.
❖ It ensures quick, transparent and simplified registration process.
❖ It also eliminates middlemen.
❖ Through this, the documents relating to transfer of patta, will be sent to the
revenue department offices once the document registration is over, thus saving
time.
First Electric Buses in Tamilnadu
❖ As part of measures to check air pollution, the Tamil Nadu government unveiled
a battery-powered electric air-conditioned bus.

❖ It would be initially operated on a trial basis on routes specified by the

Metropolitan Transport Corporation, Chennai.
❖ These 32-seater buses are fitted with GPS, fire detection and suppression system
and can travel upto 120 km on a single charge.
❖ They are manufactured by Ashok Leyland.
❖ In June 2018 the State government signed a Memorandum of Understanding
(MOU) with England-based C-40 Cities Climate Leadership Group to
manufacture electric buses.
 ❖ Shortly, 525 more such buses are expected to ply all over major cities of
Tamilnadu under Phase-II of Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric
Vehicles in India Scheme (FAME India Scheme).

Microchipping Chippiparai Dogs – Nellai Veterinary College

❖ Veterinary College and Research Institute, Tirunelveli has embarked on creating
a database of the native Chippiparai dog breed and has done microchipping of
around 100 such dogs for the first time in the country.
❖ Microchipping is mandatory for dogs that are members of the Kennel Club of
India (KCI).
❖ This has gained Chippiparai a status on a par with elite exotic dog breeds in the
country.
❖ Chippiparai has also gained distinction as a ‘universal donor’ of canine blood.

Dindigul Locks, Kandangi Saree

❖ Dindigul lock and Kandangi saree have been given the Geographical Indication
(GI) tag by the Geographical Indications Registry in Chennai.
❖ The lock is famous for its superior quality and durability, that even the city is
called Lock City.
❖ The abundance of iron in this region is the reason for the growth of the industry.
❖ The Kandangi cotton sarees are manufactured in the entire Karaikudi taluk in
Sivaganga district.
❖ They are characterised by large contrast borders. Some are known to have
borders covering as far as two-thirds of the saree.
Energy Efficient Electric Trains – Southern Railway
❖ The Southern Railway has introduced new energy-efficient three-phase Mainline
Electric Multiple Unit (MEMU) between Chennai and Arakkonam.
❖ It has ‘regenerative braking system’.
❖ This enables faster acceleration and deceleration.
❖ This results in saving up to 35 per cent of energy compared to conventional
Electric Multiple Units (EMU) and MEMUs.

Planning – Online Sanction

❖ The State government has initiated online sanctioning of planning permission for
construction of houses.
❖ It is to enhance greater transparency.
❖ The property owners who own plots measuring less than 2,500 sq. ft. and who
plan to build less than 1,200 sq. ft. of residential accommodation could get
planning permission by submitting their applications online.
❖ The online mode could be used for paying property tax, commercial tax, and water
and sewage taxes.
❖ The platform is to simplify the planning permission modelled on the Model
Building Bye-Laws 2016 of the Centre.
 NATIONAL

Atal Community Innovation Centre

❖ Under NITI Aayog’s flagship scheme Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), Atal
Community Innovation Centres have been launched.
❖ They aim to encourage the spirit of innovation at the community level.
❖ The program will focus on the 484 backward districts where the innovation
infrastructure is very weak.
❖ Unserved regions of Tier 1/ 2 / 3 cities, North-East, Jammu and Kashmir as well
as the rural and tribal regions of India will be targeted under the program.

Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, 2019

❖ Both houses of Parliament have passed the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights
on Marriage) Bill 2019.
❖ Lok sabha passed the bill on 25-07-2019 and the Rajya sabha passed the bill on
30-07-2019.
❖ The Bill would help in protecting the rights of married Muslim women and prevent
divorce by practice of ‘Talaq-e-biddat’ by their husbands.
❖ It declares the practice of triple talaq, including in written or electronic form, as
void and illegal.
❖ It makes this offence punishable with imprisonment up to three years and fine.
❖ The amount of any fine is at the discretion of the Magistrate hearing the case.
❖ It provides for payment of ‘subsistence allowance’ to married Muslim women and
dependent children which is decided by the magistrate.
❖ The wife is entitled to seek custody of the minor children from the marriage.
❖ The offence is non-bailable. However, there is a provision that the magistrate
hearing the case may grant bail to the accused.

Additional Charge - NSG

❖ ITBP (Indo Tibetan Border Police) Director General S S Deswal was given
additional charge of counter-terror force National Security Guard (NSG).
❖ He took over from NSG DG Sudeep Lakhtakia who is retired on 31st July 2019.
❖ The post NSG DG is occupied by an IPS officer S S Deswal is a 1984-batch IPS
officer of Telangana cadre.
About
❖ NSG was established in 1984, to protect states against internal disturbances and
terrorism.
❖ It is under the administrative control of Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
❖ It deals with anti-terrorist activities in all its forms.

National Bal Bhawan

❖ Union HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal opened a special IAF pavilion with a flight
simulator at National Bal Bhawan, New Delhi
❖ It is aimed at inspiring young children to serve in the Indian Air Force (IAF).
❖ Air Chief Marshal B S Dhanoa also launched a new 3D mobile-based video game
''Indian Air Force: A Cut Above'' based on the missions of the force.
About
❖ National Bal Bhawan is fully funded autonomous body under the Ministry of
Human Resource Development (HRD).
❖ It was started in 1956 by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru as a nationwide
mission for creative enhancement of children through playing and doing different
activities in a child friendly environment.

R-27 Air to Air Russian Missiles

❖ India has signed a deal to acquire R-27 air-to-air missiles from Russia.

❖ They will equip Su-30MKI combat aircraft fleet of the Indian Air Force and boost
its capabilities in beyond visual range warfare.
❖ They are acquired under 10- I project which mandates all the 3-armed forces to
maintain War Wastage Reserve (WWR).
 ❖ WWR implies maintaining critical weapon systems and spares for a specified
minimum period.

ISRO Technical Liaison Unit at Moscow

❖ Cabinet has approved the setting up of ISRO Technical Liaison Unit (ITLU) at
Moscow in Russia.
❖ It will collaborate with Space agencies and industries in Russia and neighbouring
countries for mutually synergetic outcomes.
❖ ITLU will support the ongoing “bilateral programmes” of cooperation in space
technology.
❖ It will fully act on behalf of ISRO.

Water Stress Index

❖ According to Water Stress Index, 11 of 20 biggest cities in the country are facing
extreme risk of scarcity.
❖ Water Stress Index is formulated by London-based risk analytics firm Verisk
Maplecroft and has listed India as the 46th highest risk country in the World.
❖ The index measures the water consumption rates of households, industries and
farm sectors and the available resources in rivers, lakes and streams.
❖ Delhi, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Nashik, Jaipur, Ahmedabad and Indore
are among the cities facing ‘extreme risk’.

Nutrient Based Subsidy

❖ The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved the Nutrient
Based Subsidy (NBS) Rates for P&K Fertilizers for the year 2019-20.
❖ It was proposed by the Department of Fertilizers.
❖ Under NBS mechanism, annual subsidy will be fixed on the basis of per kilogram
of the following nutrients
o Nitrogen (N)
o Phosphate (P)
o Potash (K)
o Sulphur (S)
 ❖ Other fertilisers with other micro nutrients like Boron and Zinc will also be
eligible for a separate subsidy.
❖ This will enable the manufacturers and importers to formalize supply contracts
for fertilizers and fertilizer inputs and make fertilizers available to the farmers in
the year 2019-20.

Increasing the Number of SC Judges

❖ The Union Cabinet has approved increasing the number of judges in the Supreme
court from the present 31 to 34, including the Chief Justice of India.
❖ The bill to increase the strength of judges awaits parliamentary nod.
❖ The Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Act, 1956 originally provided for a
maximum of 10 judges (excluding the CJI).
❖ The Act was last amended in 2009 to increase the judges’ strength from 25 to 30
(excluding the CJI).

The Protection of Human Rights (Amendment) Bill, 2019

❖ The Protection of Human Rights (Amendment) Bill, 2019 which amends the
Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993 has been approved by both Houses of
Parliament.
❖ Under the 1993 Act, the Chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission
(NHRC) is a person who has been a retired Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.
❖ But now Chief Justice of India or any Supreme Court Judge can become a
Chairperson.
❖ Similarly, State HRC can be headed by any Judge of the High Court including
Chief Justice of High Court not only by a former Chief Justice of High Court.
❖ The Act provides for two persons having knowledge of human rights to be
appointed as members of the NHRC.
❖ But after this amendment, three members will be appointed, of which at least one
will be a woman.
❖ The Amendment reduces the term of office to three years or till the age of seventy
years, whichever is earlier. Earlier it was five years.
❖ Further, the Act allows for the reappointment of members of the NHRC and
SHRCs for a period of five years. The Bill removes the five-year limit for
reappointment.
 ❖ The 1993 Act provided for a Secretary-General (SG) of the NHRC and a Secretary
of a SHRC, who exercise powers as may be “delegated” to them.
❖ After amendments, SG will exercise all administrative and financial powers
(except judicial functions), subject to the respective chairperson’s control.
❖ The present commission must include Chairperson of the National Commission
for Backward Classes, Chairperson of the National Commission for Protection of
Child Rights and the Chief Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities as deemed
Members of the Commission.
❖ The Bill provides that the central government may confer on a SHRC human
rights functions being discharged by Union Territories. Functions relating to
human rights in the case of Delhi will be dealt with by the NHRC.

One Nation One Ration – Trail Implementation

❖ In a major boost to national food security, Union Government has launched One
Nation-One Ration Card scheme on pilot basis in
o Telangana
o Andhra Pradesh
o Maharashtra
o Gujarat
❖ The pilot project is effective from 1 August 2019.
❖ One Nation One Ration Card scheme seeks to allow portability of food security
benefits.
❖ Families who have food security cards can buy subsidized rice and wheat from
any ration shop in these states but their ration cards should be linked with
Aadhar Number to avail this service.

The Indian Medical Council (Amendment) Bill, 2019

❖ The Indian Medical Council (Amendment) Second Bill, 2019 has been
successfully passed by Parliament.
❖ It replaces Indian Medical Council Act, 1956.
❖ The Bill sets up the National Medical Commission (NMC) which will replace the
Medical Council of India (MCI).
❖ It will consist of 25 members, appointed by the Union government.
 ❖ Within three years of the passage of the Bill, the state governments will establish
State Medical Councils at the state level.
❖ The Union government will constitute a Medical Advisory Council (MAC).
❖ The States/Union Territories can put forth their concerns before the NMC
through MAC.
❖ MAC will advise the NMC on measures to determine and maintain “minimum
standards” of medical education.
❖ The NMC may grant a limited license to certain mid-level practitioners connected
with the modern medical profession to practice medicine.
❖ There will be a uniform National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) for
admission to under-graduate and post-graduate super-specialty medical
education in all medical institutions regulated under the Bill.
❖ There will be a common final year undergraduate examination called the National
Exit Test (NEXT) for the students graduating from medical institutions to obtain
the license for practice.
❖ NEXT scores will also serve as the basis for admission into post-graduate courses
at medical institutions under this Bill.

Pashmina Testing Centre

❖ Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) announced that it would set up a Pashmina
testing center in Leh.
❖ It will be set up in partnership with the lab of Ladakh Autonomous Hill
Development Council (LAHDC), Leh to check the quality of pashmina collected.
❖ Pashmina is a fine type of Kashmiri wool which comes from 4 distinct breeds of
the Cashmere goats.

Changthangi Malra

Chegu Chyangara

India’s First Time Release Study

❖ The Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance is conducting India’s first
national Time Release Study (TRS).
 ❖ It will be conducted between to enable faster movement of cargo across borders
to benefit traders.
❖ It will be conducted at the same time across 15 ports including sea, air, land and
dry ports between 1st – 7th August.
❖ The Overall Objective is to identify and address bottlenecks in the trade flow
process and take the corresponding policy and operational measures required to
improve the effectiveness and efficiency of border procedures.
❖ The TRS is an internationally recognized tool advocated by World Customs
Organization (WCO) to measure the efficiency and effectiveness of international
trade flows.

Genome India Initiative

❖ Under Genome India Initiative, the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) plans to
scan nearly 20,000 Indian genomes over the next 5 years in a two-phase exercise.
❖ The project is done to develop diagnostic tests that can be used to test for cancer.
❖ While 22 institutions, including Council of Scientific and Industrial Research
(CSIR) and the DBT would be involved in the exercise.
❖ The data generated will be accessible for to researchers anywhere for analysis
through National Biological Data Centre.

The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Amendment) Bill, 2019

❖ The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Amendment) Bill or POCSO

(Amendment) Bill has been passed by both houses of Parliament. It amends
POCSO Act, 2012.

Offence POCSO Act, 2012 2019 Bill

Use of child for pornographic Maximum: 5 years Minimum: 5 years
purposes
Use of child for pornographic Minimum: 10 years Minimum: 10 years (in case of
purposes resulting in Maximum: life child below 16 years: 20 years)
penetrative sexual assault imprisonment Maximum: life imprisonment
Use of child for pornographic Life imprisonment Minimum: 20 years
purposes resulting in Maximum: life
aggravated penetrative sexual imprisonment, or death.
assault
 Use of child for pornographic Minimum: Six years Minimum: Three years
purposes resulting in sexual Maximum: Eight Maximum: Five years
assault years
Use of child for pornographic Minimum: Eight Minimum: Five years
purposes resulting in years Maximum: Seven years
aggravated sexual assault Maximum: 10 years

Kala Azar Disease

❖ Researchers at the IIT Hyderabad have been able to achieve sustained release of
the drug (Amphotericin B) for up to 10 days, which can be used for treating kala-
azar.
❖ It is a disease caused by parasites of the Leishmania type.
❖ It is spread by the bite of infected female sandflies.
❖ It attacks the immune system, and is almost always fatal if not treated.
❖ It is the second-largest parasitic killer in the world (after malaria).
❖ Kala Azar also known as black fever, and Dumdum fever is classified as a
neglected tropical disease.
❖ In India, this disease is endemic to West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand and eastern
Uttar Pradesh.
Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment (UAPA) Bill, 2019
❖ Both houses of Parliament have passed the Unlawful Activities (Prevention)
Amendment Bill, 2019.
❖ It amends Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.
❖ The Bill empowers government to designate even “Individuals” as terrorists in
addition to designating certain organisations as terrorist organisations.
❖ Earlier investigation of cases may be conducted by officers of the rank of Deputy
Superintendent or Assistant Commissioner of Police or above.
❖ The Bill additionally empowers the officers of the NIA of the rank of Inspector or
above, to investigate cases.
❖ Earlier acts done in contravention to 9 treaties, including the Convention for the
Suppression of Terrorist Bombings (1997) and the Convention against Taking of
Hostages (1979) were defined as terrorist acts.
❖ The amendment includes one more convention - International Convention for
Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism (2005)
❖ Under the 1967 Act, an investigating officer is required to obtain the prior
approval of the DGP to seize properties that may be connected with terrorism.
❖ Now the amendments add that if the investigation is conducted by an officer of
the National Investigation Agency (NIA), the approval of the Director General of
NIA would be required for seizure of such property.

Institutions of Eminence
❖ The University Grants Commission (UGC) on 02nd August 2019 has
recommended 20 Institutions to be accorded the status of ‘Institutions of
Eminence (IoE).’
❖ The IITs Madras and Kharagpur, Delhi University, University of Hyderabad,
Amritha Vishwa Vidyapeetham and VIT are among the 20 institutions.
❖ Started in 2018, the IoE scheme is aimed at developing 20 world-class
institutions which would put India on the global education map.
❖ The chosen public institutions will also receive a government grant of ₹1,000
crore, while the private institutions will not get any funding under the scheme.

Comprehensive information for Census 2021

❖ Census 2021 will for the first time seek information from households on
smartphones, DTH/Cable TV connection, internet access, number of members of
 households having bank accounts, ownership of house other than the rented
accommodation of a household, bottled water availability and mobile number as
part of the house listing procedure.
❖ The Census 2021 house listing questionnaire will no longer seek a breakup of
male and female persons in a household.
❖ Importantly it will not collect caste data and will have a listing for third gender.
❖ Another fresh inclusion mainly pertains to new categories of disabilities as per
the latest definition.
❖ The data collected during the 2021 Census will be stored electronically, the first
time since the decennial exercise was conducted in 1951 in Independent India.

Disabled-friendly buses
❖ In a first, the road transport ministry has issued a draft norm to disabled-friendly
features mandatory for buses to obtain fitness certificate.
❖ Buses with more than 13 seats will require to have provisions for ramp for
wheelchairs, their locking system and other features to meet the requirement of
physically challenged persons.

Triple Talaq Bill’s History

❖ On 22 August 2017, the Indian Supreme Court deemed instant triple talaq (talaq-
e-biddat) unconstitutional and asked the government to ban the practice by
enacting a law.
❖ Then, the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) ordinance was
promulgated by the President on 19th September 2018.
❖ As the ordinance was to expire on 22nd January 2019, the government introduced
fresh bill in the Lok Sabha on 17th December 2018 to replace the ordinance.
❖ However, the bill was not passed by the Rajya Sabha.
❖ Again, before the expiry of triple talaq ordinance of 2018, the government had re-
promulgated the ordinance on 10th January 2019.
❖ On 12th January 2019, the President re-approved the ordinance of 2019.
❖ The triple talaq ordinance of 2019 was to expire on 29 August 2019.
❖ The bill was passed by Lok Sabha on 25th July 2019 and then by Rajya Sabha on
30th July 2019.
❖ The President gave assent to the bill on August 1, 2019 and it has come into effect
retrospectively from September 19, 2018.
❖ The bill is in line with Article 44 of the Constitution (Uniform Civil Code).
Saffron Experiment in Ladakh

❖ In Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh Farmers and Producers Cooperative Limited

have started experimenting with saffron farming in Leh.
❖ At present, saffron is farmed in Pulwama and Pampore areas of Jammu and
Kashmir.
❖ Ladakh has similarities of climatic conditions with Iran and Afghanistan where
saffron is grown.
❖ Saffron is one of the world’s costliest spice and is in great demand for its
medicinal, cosmetic and aromatic properties.
❖ It grows from a very small plant botanically known as Crocus Sativus.

Ayodhya Mediation Failed

❖ The three-member Babri Masjid - Ram Janmabhoomi land dispute case
“mediation panel” including Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and Shriram Panchu headed
by former apex court judge FM Kalifulla has submitted its report.
❖ The efforts to arrive at an amicable settlement through mediation have failed.
❖ So, the Supreme Court is set to commence day-to-day hearing in the case.
❖ A five-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi will
conduct the hearing.

Prisoner’s Cannot Vote

❖ The Election Commission of India (ECI) has informed the Delhi High Court that
“prisoners” do not have voting rights under the Representation of People (RP) Act.
 ❖ The poll panel said the right to vote is a statutory right created under Section 62
of the RP Act and the law is settled that the “right to vote being a statutory right
is subject to the restrictions prescribed in the RP Act”.
❖ Further ECI quoted the Supreme Court judgement in the Anukul Chandra
Pradhan v Union of India (1997) case which denied voting rights to prisoners.

The Repealing and Amending Bill, 2019

❖ The Repealing and Amending Bill, 2019 has been passed by both houses of
Parliament.
❖ The Bill repeals 68 laws that have been listed in the First Schedule of the
Bill. These include
o The Beedi Workers Welfare Fund Act, 1976
o The Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2001
❖ The Bill makes minor amendments to two Acts which relate to substitution of
certain words. The two Acts are
o The Income Tax Act, 1961
o The India Institutes of Management Act, 2017

The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Bill, 2019

❖ The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Bill, 2019 was introduced and passed
in Rajya Sabha on August 5, 2019 and passed in Lok Sabha on August 6, 2019.
❖ The Bill provides for reorganisation of the state of Jammu and Kashmir into
o The Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir with legislature
o Union Territory (UT) of Ladakh without a legislature (previously 4
seats).
❖ The UT of Ladakh will comprise Kargil and Leh districts only. The rest of the
territories will belong to UT of Jammu and Kashmir.
❖ Lok Sabha will have five seats from the UT of J-K, while Ladakh will have one
seat.
Lieutenant Governor
❖ Both the Union Territories will be administered by the President, through an
administrator appointed by him known as the Lieutenant Governor (LG).
Legislative Assembly of Jammu and Kashmir
❖ The Bill provides for the addition of 7 seats to the Legislative Assembly for J & K
UT with 114 seats (previously 107 seats).
 ❖ Of these, 24 seats will remain vacant on account of certain areas of Jammu and
Kashmir being under the occupation of Pakistan. Rest of 90 seats will be for J
and K.
❖ The LG may nominate two members to the Legislative Assembly to give
representation to women, if they are not adequately represented.
❖ Assembly seats will be reserved for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in
proportion to their population.
❖ The assembly will have a term of 5 years and the LG must summon the Assembly
at least once in six months.
❖ It may make laws for any part of the J and K UT related to:
o any matters specified in the State List of the Constitution, except
“Police” and “Public Order”.
o any matter in the Concurrent List applicable to Union Territories.
o Further, Parliament will have the power to make laws in relation to any
matter for the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
Council of Ministers
❖ There will be a Council of Ministers of not more than ten percent of the total
number of members in the Assembly.
❖ It will aid and advice the LG on matters that the Assembly has powers to make
law.
❖ The Chief Minister will communicate all decisions of the Council to the LG.
High Court
❖ The High Court of Jammu and Kashmir will be the common High Court for the
Union Territories of Ladakh, and Jammu and Kashmir.
❖ Further the UT of J and K will have an Advocate General to provide legal advice
to the government of the Union Territory.
Legislative Council
❖ The Legislative Council of the state of Jammu and Kashmir will be
abolished. Upon dissolution, all Bills pending in the Council will lapse.
Old State Laws of J and K
❖ 153 state laws of Jammu and Kashmir have been repealed.
❖ 166 state laws will remain in force, and 7 laws will be applicable with
amendments.
❖ These amendments include lifting of prohibitions on “lease of land” to persons
who are not permanent residents of Jammu and Kashmir.
Other Provisions
❖ The Union Government will establish Advisory Committees for issues related to
o The generation and supply of electricity and water
o The Jammu and Kashmir State Financial Corporation
o Distribution of assets and liabilities of corporations of the state of
Jammu and Kashmir between the two Union Territories.

Safeguarding Space Assets

❖ ISRO is setting up a network of telescopes and radar to develop its own system
to monitor space debris and safeguard its space assets.
❖ Currently ISRO has 50 functional satellites, including communication,
navigation and surveillance satellites, in space.
❖ It depends on NORAD’s (North America Aerospace Defense Command) publicly
available and inaccurate data for
o Keeping track of space debris
o Monitoring our active and passive (dead) satellites.
❖ The foundation stone for Space Situational Awareness Control Centre has been
laid in Bengaluru.
❖ ISRO will set up telescopes and radars in four corners of the country.
o Telescope in Trivandrum, Mount Abu (Rajasthan), Deep North
o A radar in the northeast
❖ The network will be set up under the Directorate of Space Situational Awareness
and Management.

Elephant Census
❖ Union Ministry of Environment informed about the elephant population in India.
❖ Elephant population in India is estimated at 29,964 as per the census conducted
in 2017.
❖ The South Region accounted for 14,612 followed by North East with 10,139
elephants.
❖ While the census of tigers is undertaken at the national level once every four
years, the census of elephants is undertaken at every five years.
Intelligent Traffic Control – Chandigarh
❖ In a first-of-its-kind initiative in the country, Mohali traffic police have launched
3-D Smart Traffic Signal devised by the students of a Chandigarh university.
❖ One of the major reasons for traffic congestion is the inefficient working of traffic
signal timers installed at intersections.
❖ This wireless system, called 'Intelights’ uses dynamic signal control technology to
adjust the timers of red, yellow and green lights.
❖ Timings is adjusted according to the traffic density at an intersection.
❖ It uses CCTV cameras to gather live traffic feed.

Article 370
❖ Union Minister for Home Affairs introduced two statutory resolutions regarding
Article 370 in Rajya Sabha on August 05, 2019. They were passed by Lok Sabha
on August 06, 2019. The resolutions are
o Constitution (Application to Jammu & Kashmir) Order, 2019 {Ref.
Article 370(1) of Constitution of India} – issued by President of India to
supersede the 1954 order related to Article 370.
o Resolution for Repeal of Article 370 of the Constitution of India {Ref.
Article 370 (3)}
The 1954 order
❖ The 1954 presidential order constituted a founding legal document for Jammu
and Kashmir.
❖ The Constitution (Application to Jammu and Kashmir) Order, 1954, lists the
Articles and provisions that apply to J&K.
❖ By virtue of this order Jammu and Kashmir enjoyed special status under Article
370 of the Constitution of India.
❖ This Article describes it as a temporary provision and that it will cease to be
operative if the President issues a public notification to that effect.
❖ Article 370 enabled a separate Constitution for J and K and all laws made by
Parliament would not be automatically applicable there except without
concurrence from State Government.
❖ These special measures can be altered only on the recommendation of the Sadar-
i-Riyasat of Jammu and Kashmir (King), acting on the advice of the Council of
Ministers, or by the “Constituent Assembly” of that State.
Article 35 A
❖ In 1954, the President also listed a set of exceptions under Article 35A of the
Constitution (this Article does not figure in the text of the Constitution of India,
but figures only in the J&K’s Constitution).
❖ It was inserted by the Presidential order in 1954 not by Constitutional
Amendment.
❖ It protected the exclusive laws of the state like
o The bar on outsiders buying property
o Kashmiri Women marrying non-Kashmiris losing their property rights
The 2019 Order
❖ President Ram Nath Kovind has issued a presidential order under Article 370 (1)
of the Constitution.
❖ This clause enables the President to specify the matters which are applicable to
Jammu and Kashmir.
❖ As it can be issued only with the J & K government’s concurrence, the notification
uses the words “with the concurrence of the Government of the State of Jammu
and Kashmir”.
❖ Since the State is under President’s rule and administered by Governor, the
governor has given his concurrence on behalf of the State government.
❖ The Order supersedes the 1954 Order.
❖ This effectively means that all the provisions that formed the basis of a separate
“Constitution” for Jammu and Kashmir stand abrogated.
❖ The Order declares that all the provisions of the Constitution of India, shall apply
to Jammu and Kashmir too.
Special measures to support 2019 Order
❖ A few clauses were added to the Article 367 of the Constitution. Article 367
contains “Interpretations”.
❖ All references to the ‘Sadar-i-Riyasat’ acting on the aid and advice of the Council
of Ministers, will be considered as referring to “Governor” of the State.
❖ All references to the State government shall mean “the Governor”.
❖ Article 370 (3) says that the President can declare that Article 370 is no more
operative only on the recommendation of the Constituent Assembly.
❖ The reference to the “Constituent Assembly” has been amended to read
“Legislative Assembly of the State”.
❖ Since there is no State Assembly also now, Governor plays the role.
Monsoon Session 2019
❖ The First Session of Seventeenth Lok Sabha commenced on 17th of June, 2019
and 249th Session of Rajya Sabha commenced from 20th June, 2019.
❖ Lok Sabha was adjourned sine die on 6th August, 2019. Rajya Sabha was
adjourned sine die on 7th August, 2019.

❖ The Union Budget for 2019- 20 was presented on 5th July, 2019.
❖ The first session of the newly elected Government is also known as the Budget
Session.
❖ The Budget session of the Lok Sabha had 37 sittings and sat for 280 hours.
❖ During this Session a total of 40 Bills (33 in Lok Sabha and 07 in Rajya Sabha)
were introduced.
❖ 36 Bills were passed by Lok Sabha.
❖ 32 Bills were passed by Rajya Sabha.
 ❖ 30 Bills have been passed by both the Houses of Parliament – This is a record in
single first/effective Session after constitution of new Lok Sabha.
❖ The number of Bills passed in this session were more than the Bills passed in
1952.
❖ In the first session of the first Lok Sabha in 1952, the House had 67 sittings in
which 24 bills were passed.
❖ The productivity of the Lok Sabha has been 135 per cent and of Rajya Sabha 100
per cent-the highest in the past 20 years.

Samjhauta Express Stopped

❖ Pakistan has unilaterally decided to suspend the train services on its side.
❖ The Samjhauta Express, commonly called the friendship express, is a bi-weekly
train - running on Thursday and Monday.
❖ It runs between Delhi and Attari in India and Lahore in Pakistan.
❖ The train services began in July 22, 1976 under the Shimla Agreement signed
between India and Pakistan in 1972.
❖ The word Samjhauta means "agreement" in both Hindi and Urdu.
Thar Express
❖ Pakistan has also suspended the Thar Express train service with India, which
links the two countries across the Rajasthan border.
❖ It runs between Jodhpur's Bhagat ki Kothi station to Karachi every Friday night
since services resumed on February 18, 2006 after a 41-year suspension.

National Entrepreneurship Awards, 2019

❖ Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship announced the fourth
edition of National Entrepreneurship Awards, 2019.
❖ The annual awards have been instituted to honour outstanding young first-
generation entrepreneurs and ecosystem builders for their exceptional
contribution in entrepreneurship development.
❖ To be eligible for these awards, the nominee (entrepreneur)
o must be under the age of 40 year
o must be first-generation entrepreneurs
o must hold 51% or more equity and ownership of the business (women
entrepreneurs – 75% ownership)
Child Care Leave – Male Military Personnel
❖ The Defence minister has approved extension of benefits of Child Care Leave
(CCL) to single male Service Personnel as well as certain relaxations of CCL
provisions in case of women officers of defence forces.
❖ Currently Child Care Leave (CCL) is granted only to women officers in defence
forces.
❖ CCL can be availed in respect of a child with 40% disability and could be availed
without any restriction of age limit of child.

66th National Film Awards

❖ The 66th National Film Awards (NFA) for 2018 have been announced by
Directorate of Film Festivals (DFF), a body under the Ministry of Information and
Broadcasting.
❖ The selections of awards are made by a jury consisting of eminent filmmakers
and film personalities, which is appointed by the DFF.
❖ The 2019 winners are
o Best Feature Film Award: Gujarati film Hellaro.
o Best Film on Social Issues: Hindi movie Padman.
o Best Director Award: Aditya Dhar for Uri: The Surgical Strike.
o Best Actor Award: Jointly awarded to Ayushman Khurana and Vicky
Kaushal for their performances in Andhadhun and Uri: The Surgical
Strike respectively.
o Best Actress award: Keerthy Suresh for her performance in Telugu movie
Mahanati.
o Best Film on Environment Conservation/ Preservation: Marathi movie
Paani.
o Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration:
Kannada film Ondalla Eradalla.
o Most Film Friendly State: Uttarakhand.
Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill 2019
❖ President has signed into law a Bill which seeks to increase the sanctioned
strength of judges in the Supreme Court from 30 to 33 besides the Chief Justice
of India.
❖ The move to increase the strength of judges by 3 or 10 per cent comes against
the backdrop of rising cases in the top court which stand at nearly 60,000.
❖ The Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill was passed by
Parliament earlier.
Breastfeeding Report
❖ The Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan released a report on
Breastfeeding.
❖ Manipur has topped the rankings in Breastfeeding and Infant and Young Child
Feeding Practices in the country.
❖ Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Bihar are at the bottom positions in the report
card.
❖ National capital Delhi is also among the worst-performing States.
❖ The Breastfeeding report card has been developed by devising a composite score
based on three indicators namely:
o Early initiation of breastfeeding,
o Exclusive breastfeeding for six months and
o Complimentary feeding at 6-8 months of child's age.

Eco-Sensitive Zones (ESZ)

❖ The Ministry of Environment approved 13 wildlife sanctuaries as eco-sensitive
zones (ESZ) for scientific conservation of the ecosystem.
❖ The 11 sanctuaries in Tamil Nadu are
1. Vaduvoor Bird Sanctuary,
2. Kanjirankulam Bird Sanctuary,
3. Srivilliputhur Grizzled Squirrel sanctuary,
4. Megamalai Wildlife sanctuary,
5. Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park,
6. Vettangudi Birds sanctuary,
7. Kodaikanal Wildlife Sanctuary,
8. Sakkarakottai Bird Sanctuary,
9. Vallanadu Blackbuck Sanctuary,
10. Oussudu Lake Bird Sanctuary
11. Point Calemere Wildlife Sanctuary.

❖ The Achanakmar Tiger Reserve in Chhattisgarh and Tungareshwar Wildlife

Sanctuary in Maharashtra have also been approved as ESZ.
ESZ
❖ ESZs are extended up to 10 km from the protected areas, National Parks and
Wildlife Sanctuaries.
❖ It acts as a transition zone from areas of high protection to areas involving lesser
protection.
❖ It works as a shock absorber to the protected areas as certain activities such as
mining, quarrying or heavy construction are banned around national parks and
wildlife sanctuaries.
❖ It aims to minimize the negative impact on the fragile ecosystem.
❖ Final ESZ notification provides for prohibition of mining, stone quarrying and
crushing units located within one km of such protected areas.
❖ The ESZ notifications are issued under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986
and Environment (Protection) Rules 1986 by the Union Environment Ministry.
❖ But, the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 does not mention the word “Eco-
Sensitive Zones”.
❖ The Supreme Court in December 2006 had directed all the States to demarcate
ESZs within four weeks.
❖ Over 30 per cent of India's protected area (PA) has been covered under the Final
ESZ notification.
❖ Out of the 651 protected areas in India, 316 have been covered under the Final
ESZ notification.

The Consumer Protection Bill, 2019

❖ The Consumer Protection Bill, 2019 was passed by both Houses of Parliament. It
replaces the Consumer Protection Act, 1986.
Who’s a Consumer?
❖ A consumer is defined as a person who buys any good or avails a service for a
consideration.
❖ It does not include a person who obtains a good for “resale” or a good or service
for commercial purpose.
❖ It covers transactions through all modes - offline, online through electronic
means, teleshopping, multi-level marketing or direct selling.
Rights of Consumers
❖ 6 Consumer’s rights have been defined in the Bill including the right to
 ❖ Be protected against marketing of goods and services which are hazardous to life
and property
❖ Be informed of the quality, quantity, potency, purity, standard and price of goods
or services
❖ Be assured of access to a variety of goods or services at competitive prices
❖ Seek redressal against unfair or restrictive trade practices.
Central Consumer Protection Authority
❖ A Central Consumer Protection Authority will be set up to promote, protect and
enforce the rights of consumers.
❖ It will have an investigation wing, headed by a Director-General, which may
conduct inquiry or investigation into such violations.
❖ It may impose a penalty on a manufacturer or an endorser of up to Rs 10 lakh
and imprisonment for up to two years for a false or misleading advertisement.
❖ It can also prohibit the endorser of a misleading advertisement from endorsing
that particular product or service for a period of up to one year.
Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (CDRC)
❖ CDRC will be set up at the district, state, and national levels.
❖ Appeals at district level redressal commission can be escalated till national level.
❖ Final appeal will lie before the Supreme Court.
❖ Complaints can be made in relation to
o Unfair or restrictive trade practices
o Defective goods or services
o Overcharging or deceptive charging
o Offering of goods or services for sale which may be hazardous to life and
safety.
Jurisdiction
❖ The District CDRC will entertain complaints where value of goods and services
does not exceed Rs.1 crore.
❖ State CDRC will do from 1 crore to 10 crores
❖ National CDRC will deal with complaints of over 10 crores value.
Product liability
❖ Product liability means the liability of a product manufacturer / service provider
/ seller to compensate a consumer for any harm or injury caused by a defective
good or deficient service.
 ❖ To claim compensation, a consumer has to prove any one of the conditions for
defect or deficiency, as given in the Bill.

July 2019 Hottest Recorded Month in History

❖ The World Meteorological Organization has announced that July 2019 is recorded
for the hottest month since climate analysis began in 1880.
❖ July 2019 was close to 1.2°C above the pre-industrial level.
❖ The previous warmest month on record was July 2016, and July 2019 was at
least on par with it.
❖ Alarming situation: July 2016 was warmer because of El Nino. But July 2019 is
the warmest month ever without El Nino.
❖ Immediate Results: Huge Ice melt in Greenland, in the Arctic, European glaciers
and Wildfires in Arctic.

Operation Number Plate – RPF

❖ The Railway Protection Force (RPF) of Indian Railways has launched a Special
Drive with a Code Name “Operation Number Plate”.
❖ It plans to identify and verify all vehicles parked in Railway premises, circulating
area, parking and even in the ‘No Parking’ areas for a longer duration.
❖ The unidentified vehicles are considered a serious threat to the security and
safety of passengers and other stakeholders of railways.
Cancer Treatment
❖ The Union Government plans to include all types of cancers and their treatment
under the Ayushman Bharat Yojana.
❖ It is because cancer care costs cause massive financial crisis among people and
many had to go without treatment.
❖ Cancer is the second-most common disease in India.
❖ Lung cancer is the most common type of cancer in India, followed by breast
cancer and oral cancers.

Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (Amendment) Bill, 2019

❖ The Bill amends the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016.
❖ Insolvency is a situation where individuals or companies are unable to repay their
outstanding debt.
❖ The Code provides a time-bound process for resolving insolvency in companies
and among individuals.
Important Changes
❖ Under the Code, a financial creditor may file an application before the National
Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) for initiating the insolvency resolution process.
❖ The NCLT must find the existence of default within 14 days.
❖ Thereafter, a Committee of Creditors (CoC) consisting of financial creditors will
be constituted for taking decisions regarding insolvency resolution.
❖ The CoC will appoint a resolution professional who will present a resolution plan
to the CoC.
❖ Then the CoC must approve a resolution plan, and the resolution process must
be completed within 180 days.
❖ If the resolution plan is rejected by the CoC, the debtor will go into liquidation.
❖ This may be extended by a period of up to 90 days if the extension is approved
by NCLT.
❖ The Code states that the insolvency resolution process must be completed within
180 days, extendable by a period of up to 90 days.
❖ Now the Bill adds that the resolution process must be completed within 330 days.
Summary
❖ The Bill addresses three important issues.
❖ First, it strengthens provisions related to time-limits.
 ❖ Second, it specifies the minimum pay-outs to operational creditors in any
resolution plan.
❖ Third, it specifies the manner in which the representative of a group of financial
creditors (such as home-buyers) should vote.

Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorised Occupants) Amendment Bill,

2019
❖ It was introduced in Parliament by the Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs
Hardeep Singh Puri.
❖ The Bill amends the Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorised Occupants) Act,
1971.

❖ The Bill defines ‘residential accommodation occupation’ as the occupation of

public premises by a person on the grant of a license for such occupation.
❖ The Bill adds a provision laying down the procedure for eviction from residential
accommodation.
❖ If the person in unauthorised occupation of the residential accommodation
challenges the eviction order passed by the estate officer in court, he/she will be
required to pay damages for every month of such occupation.
Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill, 2019
❖ It was introduced in parliament by the Minister for Road Transport and Highways
Nitin Gadkari.
❖ The Bill seeks to amend the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 to provide for road safety.
❖ The Act provides for grant of licenses and permits related to motor vehicles,
standards for motor vehicles, and penalties for violation of these provisions.
Important Changes
❖ The central government will develop a scheme for cashless treatment of road
accident victims during golden hour.
❖ The Bill defines golden hour as the time period of up to one hour following a
traumatic injury, during which the likelihood of preventing death through prompt
medical care is the highest.
❖ The Bill increases the minimum compensation for hit and run cases as follows
o In case of death, from Rs 25,000 to two lakh rupees, and
o In case of grievous injury, from Rs 12,500 to Rs 50,000.
❖ The Bill requires the central government to constitute a Motor Vehicle Accident
Fund, to provide compulsory insurance cover to all road users in India.
❖ The Bill defines a good samaritan as a person who renders emergency medical or
non-medical assistance to a victim at the scene of an accident.
❖ The Bill allows the central government to order for recall of motor vehicles if a
defect in the vehicle may cause damage to the environment, or the driver, or other
road users.
❖ The manufacturer of the recalled vehicle will be required to
o reimburse the buyers for the full cost of the vehicle, or
o replace the defective vehicle with another vehicle with similar or better
specifications.
❖ The central government may develop a National Transportation Policy, in
consultation with state governments.
❖ The Bill provides for a National Road Safety Board, to be created by the central
government through a notification.
❖ The Bill defines aggregators as digital intermediaries or market places which can
be used by passengers to connect with a driver for transportation purposes (taxi
services).
 ❖ These aggregators will be issued licenses by state.
❖ Further, they must comply with the Information Technology Act, 2000.
❖ The Bill increases penalties for several offences under the Act.
❖ For example, the maximum penalty for driving under the influence of alcohol or
drugs has been increased from Rs 2,000 to Rs 10,000.
❖ If a vehicle manufacturer fails to comply with motor vehicle standards, the
penalty will be a fine of up to Rs 100 crore, or imprisonment of up to one year, or
both.
❖ If a contractor fails to comply with road design standards, the penalty will be a
fine of up to one lakh rupees.
❖ The central government may increase fines mentioned under the Act every year
by up to 10%.

Gallantry Medals to Armed Forces

❖ President of India approved 132 Gallantry Awards and other decorations to
Personnel of Armed and Paramilitary Forces.
❖ The awards include two Kirti Chakras, one Vir Chakra, 14 Shaurya Chakras,
eight Bar to Sena Medals (Gallantry), 90 Sena Medals (Gallantry), five Nao Sena
Medals (Gallantry), seven Vayu Sena Medals (Gallantry) and five Yudh Seva
Medals.
 ❖ He also approved 8 Tatrakshak medals to Indian Coast Guard Personnel.
❖ The gallantry awards are announced twice in a year - first on the occasion of the
Republic Day and then on the occasion of the Independence Day.
❖ Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman has been awarded Vir Chakra for
shooting down a Pakistani F-16 combat jet on February 27, 2019
❖ This is the Indian Air Forces’s first Vir Chakra since the Kargil war.
❖ IAF Squadron leader Minty Agarwal, who guided IAF Wing Commander
Abhinandan Varthaman during February 27 dogfight, has been awarded the
Yudh Seva Medal.
❖ This medal is awarded to recognise distinguished service of a high order during
war, conflict or hostilities.

RPF Commandos - CORAS

❖ Union Minister of Railways Piyush Goyal launched CORAS (Commando for
Railway Security) of Indian Railways.
❖ CORAS is a separate Commando Unit of Railway Protection Force (RPF).
❖ They will be posted in Left extremist wing affected areas, north-eastern region
and Jammu and Kashmir where providing security to the passengers and the
railway network is of utmost priority.
❖ A new commando training centre will be set up in Jagadhri, Haryana to
modernize and train the RPF Commandos.
Swachh Bharath (Urban)
❖ Union Minister for Housing & Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri has launched
the following programs
o Swachh Survekshan 2020 (SS 2020): fifth edition of the annual cleanliness
survey.
o The Swachh Bharath Mission (SBM) Water PLUS Protocol: Preventing
release of untreated waste water into the environment
o Swachh Nagar Mobile App – An app for monitoring, collection of segregated
waste and tracking the movement of waste vehicles and waste pickers
o AI enabled mSBM App – To track application status of Individual
Household Toilets scheme beneficiaries.

Home Minister’s Medal for Excellence in Investigation

❖ The “Union Home Minister’s Medal for Excellence in Investigation” for the year
2019 has been awarded to 96 Police personnel.
❖ The medal is awarded to officers in Central investigation agencies, State/UT
police force investigating agencies in recognition of their outstanding service in
investigation.
❖ The award was first created in 2018 to promote high professional standards of
investigation of crime.
Chief of Defence Staff (CDS)
❖ In his Independence Day address, Prime Minister announced the creation of the
post of Chief of Defence Staff.
❖ It was described as a strategy to provide “effective leadership at the top level” to
the three wings of the armed forces and to help improve coordination among
them.
❖ CDS is a high military office that oversees and coordinates the working of the
three Services.
❖ The role of the CDS becomes critical in times of conflict.
❖ CDS is expected to offer seamless tri-service views and single-point advice to the
Executive (to the Prime Minister) on long-term defence planning and
management.
❖ The first proposal for a CDS in India came from the 2000 Kargil Review Committee
(KRC).

Samagra Shiksha-Jal Suraksha

❖ A new initiative called Samagra Shiksha-Jal Suraksha has been initiated by the
Department of School Education and Literacy under the HRD Ministry.
❖ It aims to promote awareness about water conservation activities among school
students in the country.

Samagra Shiksha-Jal Suraksha drive: Target

One Student- Save One Litre Water One Day

One Student- Save 365 Litres Water One Year
One Student - Save 3650 Litres Water 10 Years

UNSC Closed Consultation on Kashmir Issue

❖ The United Nations Security Council held a rare closed-door meeting to discuss
the Union Government’s move to end the special status of Jammu and Kashmir.
❖ The "closed consultations on the issue" was requested by Pakistan and backed
China.
❖ The outcome of the UNSC meeting is not be a formal pronouncement as the
consultations are informal in nature.
❖ Poland is the Security Council President for the month of August.
 ❖ Currently the 10 non-permanent members of UNSC are Belgium, Cote d'Ivoire,
Dominican Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Germany, Indonesia, Kuwait, Peru,
Poland and South Africa.
❖ The last time there was a full Security Council meeting on Kashmir region was in
1965.

India – Bhutan Relations

❖ The Indian Prime Minister, who is here on his second visit to Bhutan, inaugurated
the Mangdechhu hydroelectric power plant.
❖ He launched stamps to commemorate five decades of India-Bhutan hydropower
cooperation.
❖ He also launched the RuPay Card in Bhutan.
❖ Modi and Lotay Tshering (PM of Bhutan) jointly inaugurated the Ground Earth
Station and SATCOM network, developed with assistance from ISRO for
utilization of South Asia Satellite in Bhutan.
❖ On August 8, 1949 Bhutan and India signed the Treaty of Friendship.
❖ India re-negotiated the 1949 treaty with Bhutan and signed a new treaty of
friendship in 2007.
❖ The new treaty replaced the provision requiring Bhutan to take India's guidance
on foreign policy with broader sovereignty and not require Bhutan to obtain
India's permission over arms imports.
❖ Modi made his first foreign visit as a PM in 2014 to Bhutan.
Chardham Project
❖ The Supreme Court has cleared the decks for the Chardham highway project.
❖ It is a proposed express National Highway to connect the four holy places in the
state of Uttarakhan (Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri).

Thar Express
❖ India suspends Thar Link Express to Pakistan.
❖ It starts from Jodhpur of Rajasthan, crosses Munabao, the last station on the
Indian side of the border. It reaches Karachi in Pakistan.
❖ The Thar Link Express is a continuation of the previous Sind Mail.
❖ It was revived after a period of 41 years on 18 February 2006.
About
❖ On 28 June 1976, India and Pakistan signed the rail communication agreement.
❖ It was signed to normalise the relations between two nations after signing the
Simla Agreement (2 July 1972) few months after the end of Indo-Pakistani War
of 1971.
❖ This agreement forms the basis of running Thar Link Express, as well as the
Samjhauta Express.
❖ The Delhi–Lahore Bus and Srinagar-Muzaffarabad Bus are based on a separated
agreement.

e-version of Rozgar Samachar

❖ The e-version of Rozgar Samachar has been launched recently by Union Minister
of Information & Broadcasting Prakash Javadekar.
❖ It has been launched in 1976 with a view to make aspirants aware of job
opportunities in government sector including public sector enterprises.
❖ Rozgar Samachar is the corresponding version of Employment News (English).
❖ Employment News is the flagship weekly job journal from Ministry of Information
and Broadcasting.

Committee to review Defence Procurement Procedure

❖ Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has approved setting up of a Committee to review
the Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP) to strengthen ‘Make in India’.
❖ This 11-member Committee has been setup under the Chairmanship of Director
General (Acquisition).
 ❖ It will try to remove bottlenecks in defence acquisition, promote Indian startups
and research and development.

Know India Program for Indian origin Youth

❖ A group of Indian Origin youth have visited India under the 54th Edition of ‘Know
India Programme’ (KIP).
❖ The 54th KIP is scheduled from 1st August to 25th August, 2019 in association
with the partner sates of Punjab and Haryana.
❖ KIP is organised by Ministry of External Affairs for Indian origin youth (between
18-30 years).

International Conference on Teacher Education – New Delhi

❖ Union Human Resource Development Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal inaugurated an
international conference on teacher education in New Delhi.
❖ The two-day event is being organized by the National Council of Teacher
Education (NCTE) as part of silver jubilee celebration of its establishment in
1995.
❖ NCTE serves as an advisory body to Central and State Governments to ensure
maintenance of standards and quality in Teacher Education.

Two New Fish Species

❖ Scientists of the Zoological Survey of India have discovered two new species of
freshwater fishes.
o Glyptothorax gopii – A new species of catfish found in Mizoram’s Kaladan
river.
o Garra simbalbaraensis – Discovered in Himachal Pradesh’s Simbalbara
river.

Inter-State Council
❖ The Inter-State Council, which is mandated to investigate and advise on disputes
between states, has been “reconstituted” with Prime Minister as its chairman and
six Union ministers and all chief ministers as members.
 ❖ The Chief Ministers of the Union territories (UT) having legislative assemblies and
the administrators of UTs not having a legislative assembly will also be members
of the council.
❖ Ten other Union ministers have been made permanent invitees to the council.
❖ The Article 263 of the Constitution provides for the establishment of an Inter-
State Council.

Members Amit Shah (Home),

Nirmala Sitharaman (Finance),
Rajnath Singh (Defence),
Narendra Singh Tomar (Minister of Agriculture and
Farmers Welfare, Rural Development and Panchayati
Raj).
Other members Thaawar Chand Gehlot (Minister of Social Justice and
Empowerment)
Hardeep Singh Puri (Minister of State (Independent
Charge) of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs).
Permanent invitees Nitin Gadkari (Minister of Road Transport and
Highways),
Ram Vilas Paswan (Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food
and Public Distribution),
Ravi Shankar Prasad (Minister of Law and Justice,
Harmsimrat Kaur Badal (Minister of Food Processing
Industries), Subrahmanyam Jaishankar (Minister of
External Affairs),
Ramesh Pokhriyal (Minister of HRD).
Other permanent Arjun Munda (Minister of Tribal Affairs), Piyush Goyal
invitees (Minister of Railways), Dharmendra Pradhan (Minister of
Petroleum),
Gajendra Singh Shekhawat (Minister of Jal Shakti).

National Essential Diagnostics List (NEDL)

❖ India has got its first National Essential Diagnostics List (NEDL).
❖ The list has been finalised by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).
❖ NEDL is based on World Health Organisation’s EDL released in 2018.
❖ With this, India has become the first country to compile such a list.
 ❖ The NEDL list would provide guidance to the government for ‘deciding the kind
of diagnostic tests’ that different healthcare facilities in villages and remote areas
require.
❖ The list is meant for facilities from village till the district level.

Environmental and Social Management Framework – Coastal States

❖ The Environment Ministry has unveiled a draft plan to asses prospective
infrastructure projects situated along the coast before they can apply for
clearance.
❖ The draft Environmental and Social Management Framework (ESMF) is part of a
World Bank-funded project.
❖ The document lays out guidelines out for coastal States to adopt when they
approve and regulate projects in coastal zones.
❖ It describes how “environmental and social aspects” ought to be integrated into
the planning, design, implementation of projects.
❖ Gujarat, Odisha and West Bengal are three coastal states that have already
prepared Coastal Zone Management Plans with support from the World Bank.

2nd Uday Express

❖ The 2nd UDAY (Utkrisht Double Decker Air Conditioned Yatri) Express will run
between Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada in the East Coast Railway zone.
❖ The 1st double-decker UDAY Express started service between Coimbatore and
Bangalore in June 2018.

Mobile Metallic Ramp for Army

❖ Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has handed over the
design of Mobile Metallic Ramp (MMR) to the Indian Army.
❖ It has been developed by DRDO’s premier research laboratory the Centre for Fire,
Explosive and Environment Safety, New Delhi.
❖ MMR will provide the strategic mobility for Armoured and Mechanized units and
formations of the Army.
D Voters – Assam NRC Issue
❖ With few days left for the publication of the final National Register of Citizens
(NRC), the Election Commission of India (ECI) is now faced with the legal
question whether those excluded should be marked as ‘D’ voters.
❖ ‘D’ voters, sometimes also referred to as Dubious voter or Doubtful voter, are a
category of voters in Assam whose citizenship is doubtful or under dispute.
❖ This category was introduced in 1997.
❖ Such D Voters cannot participate in elections unless their case is decided by a
Foreigners’ Tribunal.
❖ Around 1.2 lakh ‘D’ voters did not participate in the recently concluded Lok
Sabha elections.

Secretarial Appointments
❖ The current Union Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba IAS has been appointed as the
next Cabinet Secretary for a tenure of two years (from August 30, 2019).
❖ Gauba was the key architect of the recent Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation
Act which divided Kashmir into two Union Territories.
❖ Ajay Kumar has been appointed as Secretary, Defence.
❖ Subhash Chandra has been appointed as Secretary, Defence Production.
❖ Similarly, Brij Kumar Agarwal will be Secretary, Lokpal.
NISHTHA – Teacher’s Training Program
❖ Union HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal has launched the Integrated Teachers’
Training Programme, NISHTHA (National Initiative for School Head’s and
Teachers’ Holistic Advancement) in New Delhi.
❖ He also launched NISHTHA initiative’s Website, Training Modules, Primer Booklet
and Mobile App built for purpose.
❖ The Mobile App and Learning Management System (LMS) have been developed
by NCERT.
❖ This Integrated Teachers’ Training Programme aims to build capacities by
training around 42 lakh teachers across country.

Op-Blue Freedom: Phase 2

❖ After the success of the Chandigarh leg, Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju and former
India football captain Baichung Bhutia flagged off the Delhi leg of Op-Blue
Freedom.
❖ Op-Blue Freedom is a nation-wide adaptive scuba diving programme for people
with disabilities as well as the able bodied.
❖ The group of eight veterans, including from the elite special forces of PARA
regiment and MARCOS (Special commando force of Indian Navy) trained people.
❖ The program aims to train adventure enthusiasts in special forces skills like
survival techniques, emergency first response skills, unarmed combat,
endurance and fitness.
SARAL – State Rooftop Solar Attractiveness Index
❖ Union Minister of State for Power and New & Renewable Energy (IC) launched
SARAL - State Rooftop Solar Attractiveness Index.
❖ SARAL evaluates Indian states based on their attractiveness for rooftop
development.
❖ It is the first of its kind index to provide a comprehensive overview of state-level
measures adopted to facilitate rooftop solar deployment.
❖ Karnataka tops the SARAL index. It is followed by Telangana, Gujarat and Andhra
Pradesh.
❖ SARAL has been designed collaboratively by the Ministry of New and Renewable
Energy (MNRE), Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation (SSEF), ASSOCHAM and
Ernst & Young (EY).

Zonal Councils Meet

❖ Union Home Minister, Amit Shah chaired the 24th meeting of the Western Zonal
Council at Panaji (Goa).
 ❖ The meeting was also attended by Chief Ministers of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa
and Administrator of the UTs of Daman & Diu and Dadra & Nagar Haveli.
❖ The Six Zonal Councils are - Western, Eastern, Northern, Southern, North
Eastern and Central.
❖ They were set up under the State’s Reorganization Act, 1956 to foster Inter-State
co-operation and co-ordination among the States.

Ocean Energy as Renewable Energy

❖ Minister of New and Renewable Energy (Independent Charge) RK Singh has
approved a proposal to declare ‘ocean energy’ as Renewable Energy.
❖ The energy produced using various forms of ocean energy such as tidal, wave and
ocean thermal energy conversion will be considered as Renewable Energy.
❖ It will be eligible for meeting the non-solar Renewable Purchase Obligations
(RPO).
❖ The decision is expected to give a boost to ocean energy in the country.

‘SAN-Sadhan’ Hackathon – Accessible Toilets

❖ The Government of India has invited applications for its latest initiative called the
‘SAN-Sadhan’ Hackathon – for Divyangjan accessible toilets.
❖ It is an initiative under the Swachh Bharat Mission to ease lives of Persons with
Disabilities (Divyangjan) by making toilets smarter, more accessible, and easier
to use.
❖ The shortlisted applicants will work to develop their prototype during the two-
day Hackathon scheduled to be held in the month of September in New Delhi.

The Sabka Vishwas - Legacy Dispute Resolution Scheme, 2019

❖ The Sabka Vishwas - Legacy Dispute Resolution Scheme, 2019, which was
announced in the Union Budget 2019-20, has now been notified.
❖ It will be operationalized from 1st September 2019 and would continue till 31st
December 2019.
❖ The government expects large number of taxpayers to avail the scheme for closing
their ‘pending disputes’ relating to old Service Tax and Central Excise cases that
are now subsumed under GST.
National Resource Efficiency Policy, 2019
❖ Driven by serious sustainability concerns, the Ministry of Environment, Forests
and Climate Change has proposed a draft ‘National Resource Efficiency Policy
2019.
❖ It aims to streamline the efficient use of these resources with minimum negative
impact on environment.
❖ The policy aims for a ‘circular economy’ - Through efficient use of available
material resources, based on principles of 6R.
❖ 6R stands for- reduce, reuse, recycle, redesign, re-manufacture and refurbish.
❖ Zero Landfill Approach - Imposing ‘landfill taxes’ for bulk generators of waste so
that they can move towards optimal use of materials and better waste
management.
Composite Water Management Index 2.0

❖ NITI Aayog has released the second Round of Composite Water Management
Index (CWMI 2.0).

❖ It is a tool to assess and improve the performance of States/ UTs in efficient

management of water resources.
❖ This assessment has been done in partnership with Ministry of Jal Shakti,
Ministry of Rural Development and all the States/ Union Territories.
❖ The first such index was released in 2018.
❖ It has found that in 2019 rankings, 80% states have improved their water
management scores.
Rankings
❖ Reference year for rankings: 2017-18.
❖ Gujarat topped the list followed by Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Goa,
Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
❖ In North Eastern and Himalayan States, Himachal Pradesh has been adjudged
number 1 followed by Uttarakhand, Tripura and Assam.

Mesovelia Insects
❖ Scientists of the Zoological Survey of India have discovered seven species of
‘water treaders’. (Genus: Mesovelia).
❖ These are semi-aquatic insects that can walk or run on the surface of water.
❖ They have hydrophobic setae (bristles) on their legs.
 ❖ The combination of hydrophobic setae and water surface tension prevents them
from sinking.

SPG Protection Withdrawn for Former PM Manmohan Singh

❖ The Government of India is likely to withdraw the SPG (Special Protection Group)
from former PM Manmohan Singh’s security.
❖ But however, he will continue to have the “highest category” Z-plus protection, to
be provided by CRPF.
❖ SPG would be tasked with protecting only PM Modi, Congress president Sonia
Gandhi and her children Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.
About
❖ SPG is an armed force of the Union for providing proximate security to – PM,
Former PM, members of their immediate families.
❖ It was formed in 1985 after Indira Gandhi assassination.
❖ Later on, it became a statutory body under Special Protection Group Act, 1988.
❖ Initially SPG provided security to PM only.
❖ Post Rajiv Gandhi assassination, SPG Act was amended in 1991 to provide
security to former PMs and their immediate families.
Indo Pacific Chiefs of Defence Conference
❖ The 2019 Indo Pacific Chiefs of Defence (CHOD) Conference will be held in
Thailand’s capital city Bangkok.
❖ It will see participation of Chiefs of Defence of more than 33 countries.
❖ India will be represented by Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee (COSC)
and Chief of the Air Staff- Air Chief Marshal Birender Singh Dhanoa.
❖ Theme of the conference: “Collaboration in a free and Open Indo – Pacific”.

FSSAI Lab @ Ghaziabad, UP

❖ Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan inaugurated regulator Food Safety and
Standard Authority of India’s (FSSAI) National Food Laboratory, in Ghaziabad,
Uttar Pradesh.
❖ It was inaugurated on the occasion of 13th anniversary of enactment of Food
Safety and Standards Act, (FSSA) 2006.
❖ NFL is one of two premier referral laboratories under direct administrative control
of FSSAI.
❖ The other lab is at Kolkatta.
Construction around Protected Monuments
❖ Union Ministry of Tourism has relaunched and expanded the integrated ‘No
Objection Certificate Online Application Processing System (NOAPS)’ portal of
National Monuments Authority (NMA).
❖ It will cover protected monuments in 6 states - Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh,
Haryana, Punjab, Jharkhand and Telangana.
❖ Permission and No Objection Certificate for any construction activity around
protected monuments can be processed through NOAPS.
❖ The portal is supported by ISRO’s ‘Smarac’ mobile app.

Amazon and Indian Military Veterans

❖ Amazon India has launched a Military Veterans Employment programme.
❖ It plans to create continued work opportunities in Amazon for ‘military families’
across India.
❖ Amazon has collaborated with
o Director-General of Resettlement (DGR)
o Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare (Ministry of Defence)
o Army Welfare Placement Organisation, an NGO

Microsoft India Trains 5,000 Government Employees

❖ Microsoft India launched a program to train 5000 government employees over the
next year on AI (artificial intelligence) and cloud computing skills.
❖ This program was inaugurated by Amitabh Kant, chief executive of NITI Aayog.
❖ The program, called ‘Digital Governance Tech Tour’, will comprise of physical and
virtual workshops.
❖ It will be open for technocrats and IT professionals across the government,
including employees of Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs).

Anubhav Awards 2019

❖ The Union Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions Jitendra
Singh has presented the 4th ANUBHAV awards, 2019.
❖ The Anubhav portal was created in 2015 with a vision to ‘preserve rich experience’
of retired officials in digital form.
 ❖ An award scheme to incentivize and encourage more retiring employees to submit
their write-ups was subsequently introduced in 2016.

National Digital Library of India

❖ Under the National Mission on Education through Information and
Communication Technology, the Union HRD ministry has launched the
National Digital Library (NDL) of India project.
❖ It would be a virtual repository of learning resources with a single-window
search facility.
❖ NDL has been integrated with UMANG (Unified Mobile Application for New-age
Governance) App.
❖ There are more than 3 crore digital resources available in NDL and contents
cover almost all major domains of education and all major levels of learners.

September – Month of Poshan

❖ In his weekly radio interactive program ‘man ki bhat’ Prime Minister Modi
addressed the nation to celebrate September 2019 as a month of nutrition.
❖ It is to be observed as a part of ‘POSHAN Abhiyaan’ (National Nutrition Mission-
NNM).
❖ NNM is a flagship programme of the Union Ministry of Women and Child
Development (MWCD).
❖ The program aims to achieve improvement in nutritional status of Children from
0-6 years, Adolescent Girls, Pregnant Women and Lactating Mothers in a time
bound manner in three years (2017-20).
❖ A similar scheme to eliminate malnutrition of girl children had been launched by
Gujarat state government in 2018, known as Purna.

Bureau of Police Research and Development Foundation Day

❖ Union Home Minister Amit Shah attended the 49th Foundation Day of Bureau of
Police Research and Development (BPR&D) at New Delhi.
❖ On the occasion, the Home minister released BPR&D's new logo.
❖ The theme of the function was "promoting good practices and standards”.
About
❖ BPR&D was set up on 28 August 1970 for the modernization of police forces.
 ❖ At present it has 4 divisions – Research, Development, Training and Correctional
Administration.

'Fit India' Movement

❖ Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched a nation-wide 'Fit India' Movement
on the occasion of National Sports Day (August 29).
❖ The campaign is aimed at encouraging people to inculcate physical activity and
sports in their day to day life.
❖ A 28-member committee, under the chairmanship of sports minister Kiren Rijiju
has been formed to advise the government on the campaign.
❖ During the launch of the event, PM also paid tributes to hockey legend Major
Dhyan Chand as it is his birth anniversary.

75 new Medical Colleges in 3 Years

❖ The Union Cabinet has approved setting up of 75 new Medical Colleges by 2021-
22.
❖ The move will add 15,700 more MBBS seats in the country.
❖ This will be established in under-served areas having no such colleges with at
least 200 bedded district hospitals.
❖ Preference will be given to Aspirational districts and district hospitals having 300
beds.

Facial Biometric Data of Seafarers

❖ India has become the ‘first country in the world’ to issue Biometric Seafarer
Identity Document (BSID) capturing the facial biometric data of seafarers.
 ❖ Minister of State for Shipping Mansukh Mandaviya launched the project in New
Delhi.
❖ Nine data collection centres have been set up at Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai,
Noida, Goa, New Mangalore, Kochi, Vizag and Kandla for the issue of BSID.
❖ The total number of existing Indian seafarers who will be required to be issued
BSIDs is around 3,50,000.

7th National Community Radio Sammelan

❖ Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar attended the 7th
National Community Radio Sammelan (meet) held in New Delhi.
❖ Awards for excellence were given to different community radio channels for their
valuable contribution in sensitizing local people.
❖ For the year 2019, “Friends Radio”, Tripura bagged the first prize in the thematic
category.
❖ Awards were given under 5 categories.

New images on tobacco packets

❖ The image on cigarette and other tobacco packets will be changed from
September 1, 2019.
❖ The current image would be replaced by the image of a man who lost a part of
his jaw and other parts owing to Buccal Mucosa cancer.
❖ Besides the new image, the health warning ‘Tobacco causes painful death’ and a
number (1800-11-2356) to seek help for quitting tobacco would be displayed.
❖ Together they would fill 85% of the display area of all the tobacco products.

Leather Mission - KVIC

❖ Khadi and Village Industry Commission (KVIC) distributed as many as 50 leather
kits and 350 Bee-Boxes with live bee colonies in tribal-dominated village in Sirohi
district of Rajasthan on World Tribal Day.
❖ Sirohi is one of the aspirational districts in India identified by the NITI Aayog.
 ❖ KVIC also launched a new programme ‘Leather Mission’ on World Tribal Day from
the tribal-dominated village of Chandala.
❖ Under this new programme, KVIC will give Leather Kits to the leather artisans
across the nation.
❖ International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples (or) World Tribal Day is
celebrated on August 09 every year.

WTI Awards – NITI Aayog

❖ NITI Aayog launched fourth edition of Women Transforming India (WTI) Awards.
❖ WhatsApp has collaborated with NITI Aayog for WTI Awards 2019 and will be
providing support amounting to US $100,000 to award winners.
Women Transforming India (WTI) Award
❖ The Women Transforming India (WTI) Awards is being organized in collaboration
with the United Nations to recognize women entrepreneurs from across India.
❖ This year’s theme is ‘Women and Entrepreneurship’, in continuation of the
theme for WTI Awards 2018.

Child Well-being Index 2019

❖ Child Well-being Index is a part of the report released by the non-government
organisation World Vision India and research institute IFMR LEAD.
❖ The report is an attempt to look at how India fairs on child well-being using a
composite child well-being index.
❖ The dimensions of the index include healthy individual development, positive
relationships and protective contexts.
❖ Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Himachal Pradesh and Puducherry topped the charts in the
child well-being index.
❖ Meghalaya, Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh featured at the bottom.
12th India Security Summit
❖ The 12th India Security Summit was held in New Delhi with the theme “Towards
New National Cyber Security Strategy”.
❖ India is the third largest user of internet and the cybercrime has increased
manifold in the recent years.
❖ Various steps are taken by the Government to provide cyber security were
discussed.

100% FDI in Coal

❖ The Union Cabinet has cleared the proposal to allow 100 % foreign investment in
coal mining and contract manufacturing.
❖ 100 % FDI under automatic route in coal mining and sale of coal has been allowed
to help attract international players to create an efficient and competitive coal
market.

INTERNATIONAL

Shawala Teja Singh Temple in Pakistan

❖ Almost 1,000-year-old Shawala Teja Singh Temple located in Sialkot city of
Pakistan has been re-opened for devotees for the 1st time since partition.
❖ It has been remaining sealed for the last 72 years since partition.
❖ It was built by Sardar Teja Singh and dedicated to Lord Siva.
Nagar Kirtan – 550th Guru Nanak Anniversary
❖ For 1st time since partition, the ‘Nagar Kirtan’ carrying Guru Granth Sahib which
was taken out from Nankana Sahib district of Punjab province of Pakistan,
arrived at Attari in Amritsar, India.
❖ Nagar Kirtan is a religious procession.
❖ This procession by devotees is to mark the 550th birth anniversary celebrations
of Guru Nanak Dev, founder of Sikhism.
❖ It will culminate at Sultanpur Lodhi in Kapurthala district of Punjab in India.
❖ Guru Nanak Devji was born in 1469, in the village Talwandi now known as
Nankana Sahib, is situated near Lahore, Pakistan.

Singapore Convention on Mediation

❖ The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister has approved the signing of the UN
Convention on International Settlement Agreements (UNISA).
❖ UNISA was adopted in 2018. It will be officially signed in Singapore.
❖ This agreement will be known as "Singapore Convention on Mediation".
❖ It provides a uniform framework for the enforcement of ‘international settlement
agreements’ resulting from mediation and for allowing parties to invoke such
agreements.

India – Africa Relations

❖ President Ramnath Kovind returned to New Delhi after completion of his three-
nation visit to three African nations: Benin, Gambia and Guinea.
❖ This is the first ever visit by any President of India to the three West African
countries.
❖ In Guinea, he received National Order of Merit which is the highest civilian award
of the country.
❖ MoUs were signed in the field of traditional medicine, pan Africa e-Network
Project, solar and renewable energy, E-education and Ayurveda.
❖ About pan Africa e-Network:
o Started in 2009. Aims to provide ‘seamless’ and ‘integrated’ elite, fibre
optics and wireless network to connect the African countries.
o The idea for the project came from the then President of India, A P J
Abdul Kalam in Johannesburg in 2004.
US-Russia Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces Treaty
❖ The US has formally withdrawn from the Cold War-era Intermediate-Range
Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) with Russia.
❖ The treaty had banned the development, testing and possession of short and
medium range ground-launched nuclear missiles with a range of 500-5,000 km.
❖ INF was signed by then US President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail
Gorbachev in 1987.

Asean-India summits
❖ Series of Asean-India summits held in Thailand.
❖ External affairs minister S Jaishankar represented the country in the meetings.
❖ The summits are;
o Asean-India Ministerial Meeting,
o 9th East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers’ Meeting,
o 26th ASEAN Regional Forum and
o 10th Mekong Ganga Cooperation Ministerial Meeting.

Kajin Sara Lake

❖ Kajin Sara lake, a newly-discovered lake in Nepal is likely to set a new record of
being the world’s highest lake.
❖ It is located at Singarkharka, Manang district of Nepal.
❖ Currently Tilicho Lake holds the title of the world’s highest lake. It is situated at
an altitude of 4,919 metres in Nepal.
❖ The 1.5 km long and 600 metres wide Kajin Sara Lake is located at an altitude of
5,200 metres, which is yet to be officially verified.
Reusable Launch Vehicles
❖ Chinese start-up Link Space completed its third test of a reusable rocket RLV-
T5.
❖ The cost of access to space is the major deterrent in space exploration and space
utilisation.
❖ A reusable launch vehicle is the unanimous solution to achieve low cost,
reliable and on-demand space access.
❖ Other private companies involved in similar technology – America’s SpaceX,
Chinese Firm iSpace.
❖ ISRO's Reusable Launch Vehicle - Technology Demonstration Program (RLV-
TD) is also working on a similar technology.

Russia on Kashmir issue

❖ Russia became the first P-5 nation to formally state that abrogation of Article 370
is an internal matter for India.
❖ After the United States, United Nations, now Russia has asked India and
Pakistan not to allow worsening of the situation in Kashmir.
❖ Russia said that the differences between the two sides will be resolved by the
provisions of the Shimla Agreement of 1972 and the Lahore Declaration of 1999.
❖ The erstwhile Soviet Union came to India’s aid whenever any resolution on
Kashmir was introduced in the UNSC, besides the 1971 War.
❖ The 100th veto in the UNSC was cast by Moscow in 1962 and in support of India’s
position on Kashmir.
❖ Earlier, the Soviet Union bailed out India in 1957 in the UNSC on the same issue
by vetoing a resolution.

First US Missile Test Post INF Treaty Withdrawal

❖ The United States has announced that it has successfully tested a medium-range
ground-launched Tomahawk cruise missile.
❖ This is first such test after US unilaterally withdrew from Intermediate-Range
Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, a Cold War-era pact with Russia.
❖ The 1987 INF Treaty had banned both parties from possessing, testing land-
based missiles – conventional/ nuclear, that could travel between 500 and 5,500
kilometers.
Zambian President’s India visit
❖ The President of India, Ram Nath Kovind, received Edgar Chagwa Lungu, the
President of Zambia, at Rashtrapati Bhavan on his first state visit to India.
❖ They signed six MoUs in various fields including the e-VBAB network project.
About
❖ In 2018, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and the Telecommunications
Consultants India Ltd (TCIL) signed an Agreement for the implementation of e-
VidyaBharati and e-AarogyaBharati (e-VBAB) Network Project.
❖ E-VBAB Network Project will provide free tele-education courses in various
academic disciplines to 4000 students every year from African countries.

World Police and Fire Games’ 2019

❖ World Police and Fire Games 2019 held at Chengdu, China’s southwestern
Sichuan province.
❖ Indian Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) sports personnel won 10 medals
including 5 gold, 3 silver and 2 bronze medals.
About
❖ It is a worldwide Olympic-style sporting event which is held every two years.
❖ The 2021 edition will be held in Rotterdam, Netherlands and 2023 will be in
Winnipeg, Canada
❖ In this Olympic-style competition, Athletes from more than 70 countries
participated and competed in more than 60 sports.

Maritime Surveillance and Security – India and France

❖ India and France have formalised the development and launch of constellation of
around 10 low-earth orbit satellites that will continuously provide maritime
surveillance and security.
❖ It will cover a wide belt around the globe and specifically focus on the Indian
Ocean region where France, with its Reunion Islands, has a strategic interest.
❖ The satellite-based Automatic Identification System (AIS) will
o detect, identify and track a range of vessels moving in the ocean region.
o guard against aggression, terrorism, piracy, smuggling, and also be useful
for rescue.
 ❖ Other climate and ocean weather monitoring satellites jointly developed by India
and France are
o Megha-Tropiques in 2011
o SARAL-AltiKa in 2013.

FATF – Pakistan Blocked

❖ Pakistan has been placed on the lowest rung or “blacklist” of the Financial Action
Task Force’s Asia Pacific Group (APG).
❖ It has been placed in the list for non-compliance and non-enforcement of
safeguards against terror financing and money laundering.
❖ The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) had already ‘grey listed’ Pakistan for
failing to curb anti-terror financing.
❖ FATF has no investigative authority.
❖ The FATF blacklist or OECD blacklist has been issued by the Financial Action
Task Force since 2000.
❖ Main objective of FATF is to fight against money laundering, terrorist financing
and other related threats to the security and integrity of the international
financial system.

First Floating Nuclear Reactor - Russia

❖ Russia has launched the world’s first floating nuclear reactor, the Akademik
Lomonosov.
❖ It is on a 5,000 km journey between port of Murmansk and Pevek in Siberia.
❖ When it arrives in Pevek, it will ‘replace’ a local nuclear plant and a closed coal
power plant.
❖ Power produced from the plant will be used by Russia in the exploitation of
hydrocarbons in the Arctic.
❖ Environmental groups have long warned of the dangers of the project, dubbing it
a potential "Chernobyl on ice" and a "nuclear Titanic."
South-South and Triangular Cooperation
❖ An international dialogue on South-South and Triangular Cooperation was
recently held in New Delhi.
❖ South-South cooperation is a broad framework of collaboration among countries
of the Southern Hemisphere in the political, economic, social, cultural,
environmental and technical domains.
❖ It is collaboration in which traditional donor countries and multilateral
organizations facilitate South-South economic initiatives.
Modi in UAE
❖ The United Arab Emirates (UAE) honoured Prime Minister Narendra Modi with
its highest civilian award the 'Order of Zayed'.
❖ The award in name of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, founding father of
UAE.
❖ UAE is India’s 3rd-largest trade partner with an annual bilateral trade of about
$60 billion.
❖ UAE is also 4th-largest exporter of crude oil for India.
❖ Prime Minister launched the RuPay card here, making the UAE the first country
in West Asia to initiate the Indian indigenous system of electronic payment.

About RuPay
❖ RuPay card scheme was launched in 2012 to fulfil the Reserve Bank of India’s
vision to have a domestic, open and multilateral system of payments.
❖ RuPay facilitates electronic payment at all Indian banks and financial
institutions.
❖ India has already launched the RuPay card in Singapore and Bhutan.

WorldSkills event
❖ The 45th edition of a global skills competition called the WorldSkills, dubbed as
‘Olympics of Skills’, will begin in Kazan, Russia.
❖ It is the World’s biggest international vocational skill competition.
❖ India, with a strong 48-member contingent, is one of the 63 countries
participating in this event.
About
❖ WorldSkills organises the world championships of vocational skills.
❖ It is held every two years in different parts of the world.
❖ WorldSkills International, formerly known as the International Vocation Training
Organisation (IVTO), was founded in the 1940s.
❖ It emerged from a desire to create new employment opportunities for young
people in some of the economies that were devastated by the Second World War.
❖ currently it has 79 Member countries and regions.

45th G7 Summit at Biarritz, France

❖ The 45th G7 summit was held on 24–26 August 2019, in Biarritz, France.
❖ Attendees of the 45th summit of the G7 includes the leaders of the seven G7
member states (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, United Kingdom, United
States) and representatives of the European Union.
❖ 9 Countries including India were invited as guests – Australia, Burkina Faso,
Chile, Egypt, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa and Spain.
South Asia Air Quality Tech Camp, Kathmandu
❖ The U.S. Embassy in Nepal has organized a South Asia Air Quality Tech Camp in
Kathmandu.
❖ The aim of the camp is to address political, social and scientific facets of air
pollution problem.
❖ Seven South Asian countries participated: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives,
Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka

ECONOMY

Easy External Commercial Borrowings

❖ Reserve Bank of India has relaxed External Commercial Borrowing (ECB) norms
for corporates, non-banking lenders as a move towards easing liquidity.
❖ It has liberalised the “end-use” stipulations for ECB.
❖ ECB is an instrument used in India to facilitate Indian companies to raise money
outside the country in Foreign currency.

The Companies (Amendment) Bill, 2019

❖ The Parliament has passed Companies (Amendment) Bill, 2019.
❖ It amends the Companies Act, 2013.
 ❖ It is aimed at
o Tightening Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) compliance
o Ensuring stricter action for non-compliance of the company law
regulations
o Ensure greater accountability and better enforcement of the corporate
governance norms.

Failing Indian Economy – Rank 5 to 7

❖ India has slipped down to the 7th place in the global GDP rankings of 2018,
reveals data compiled by the World Bank.
❖ According to the 2018 data, the UK and France once again moved ahead of India
to reclaim their 5th and 6th spots respectively in the global GDP rankings.
❖ The United States continues to top the list with a GDP of $20.5 trillion, followed
by China at second place with GDP of $13.6 trillion and Japan at third place with
a GDP of $5 trillion.
❖ India recorded a GDP of $2.73 trillion in 2018.
❖ The present government aims to make India a $ 5 trillion economy by 2025.
❖ According to economists, India has slipped to the 7th place in Global GDP ranking
due to currency fluctuations and a slowdown in economic growth.

The Special Economic Zones (Amendment) Bill, 2019

❖ The Special Economic Zones (Amendment) Bill, 2019 has been passed by both
houses of Parliament.
❖ It amends the Special Economic Zones Act, 2005.
 ❖ Under the original Act, the definition of a person includes an individual, a Hindu
undivided family, a company, a co-operative society, a firm, or an association of
persons.
❖ The Bill adds two more categories to this definition by including a trust, or any
other entity which may be notified by the central government.

SBI and China’s Payment System

❖ The State Bank of India’s (SBI) Shanghai branch is now connected to China’s
National Advance Payment System (CNAPS).
❖ SBI is the only Indian bank to have obtained the license to do business in local
currency and also inducted to the CNAPS by the People’s Bank of China (PBOC).
❖ CNAPS, launched in 2008 by People’s Bank of China (PBOC) provides real-time
settlement services for all payments.

The Code on Wages 2019

❖ Parliament has passed the Code on Wages, 2019.
❖ It seeks to regulate wage and bonus payments in all employments where any
industry, trade, business, or manufacture is carried out.
❖ The Code will apply to all employees.
❖ The central government will make wage-related decisions for employments such
as railways, mines, and oil fields, among others.
❖ State governments will make decisions for all other employments.
❖ The Code replaces the following four laws
o The Payment of Wages Act, 1936
o The Minimum Wages Act, 1948
o The Payment of Bonus Act, 1965
o The Equal Remuneration Act, 1976.
Floor Wage
❖ Based on living standards of workers, the central government will fix a “Floor
Wage”.
❖ The “Minimum Wages” decided by the central or state governments must be
higher than the floor wage.
Minimum Wage
❖ The Code prohibits employers from paying wages less than the minimum wages.
❖ Minimum wages will be notified and fixed by the central or state governments
based on
o Skill of workers
o Difficulty of work

Overtime
❖ In case employees work in excess of a normal working day, they will be entitled
to overtime wage.
❖ The overtime wage must be at least twice the normal rate of wages.
Determination of bonus
❖ The bonus will be at least 8.33% of an employee’s wages.
❖ An employee can receive a maximum bonus of 20% of his annual wages.
Advisory Boards
❖ The central and state governments will constitute Advisory Boards, which will
advise the respective governments on various issues including
o Fixation of minimum wages
o Increasing employment opportunities for women.
Gender Discrimination
❖ The Code prohibits gender discrimination in matters related to wages and
recruitment of employees for the same work or work of similar nature.
Penalties for Employers
❖ The Code specifies penalties for offences committed by an employer, such as
paying less than the due wages, or for contravening any provision of the Code.
❖ Maximum penalty is imprisonment for three months along with a fine of up to
one lakh rupees.
Anti-Dumping Duty on PTA
❖ India has imposed anti-dumping duty on all imports of purified terephthalic acid
(PTA) from South Korea and Thailand.
❖ PTA is primary raw material in the manufacture of polyester chips, which in turn
are used in textile, packaging, furnishings, consumer goods, resins and coatings.

The Companies (Amendment) Bill, 2019

❖ The Companies (Amendment) Bill, 2019 has been passed by both houses of
Parliament. It amends the Companies Act, 2013.

Companies Act, 2013 2019 Amendments

Corporate If CSR money is not fully spent, Any unspent annual CSR funds
Social companies must disclose the must be transferred to one of the
Responsibility reasons for non-spending in funds under Schedule 7 of the Act
(CSR) their annual report. (e.g., PM Relief Fund) within six
months of the financial year.
Violations: A fine between Rs
50,000 and Rs 25,00,000
Debarring The National Financial The Bill amends the punishment
auditors Reporting Authority can Debar to provide for debarment from
a “member or firm” from appointment as an auditor or
practising as a Chartered internal auditor of a company, or
Accountant for a period performing a company’s valuation,
between six months to 10 for a period between six months to
years, for proven misconduct. 10 years.
Change in Change in period of financial Approval powers transferred to
approving year for a company associated Union Government.
authority with a foreign company, has to
be approved by the National
Company Law Tribunal.
Commencement of business

❖ A company may not commence business, unless it

o Files a declaration within 180 days of incorporation, confirming that every
subscriber to the Memorandum of the company has paid for the shares
agreed to be taken by him
o Files a verification of its registered address with the Registrar of
Companies (RoC) within 30 days of incorporation.
❖ Failure to comply with these provisions will result in removal of name from RoC.

Monetary Policy Statement

❖ As per advice of Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) Reserve Bank of India has cut
Repo rate by 35 basis points to 5.40 %.
❖ It will make bank loans cheaper.
❖ This was the fourth consecutive time that the MPC reduced the rates.
❖ This move is with the objective of
o Achieving the medium-term target for consumer price index (CPI) inflation
of 4 %
o Supporting Growth.

Second Largest Foreign Investment

❖ Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries has announced that it was selling a 20%
stake in its flagship oil and chemical business to Saudi Aramco for $15 billion.
❖ This will be the second-largest foreign investment in India.
❖ Walmart-Flipkart deal is the largest ever foreign investment in India ($16 billion).
❖ Saudi Aramco is the world’s most profitable company.
Injeti Srinivas Committee on Corporate social responsibility
❖ Injeti Srinivas, Secretary (Corporate Affairs), presented the Report of the High-
Level Committee on Corporate social responsibility (CSR) to the Union Minister
of Corporate Affairs, Nirmala Sitharaman.
❖ It made the following key recommendations for strengthening the CSR ecosystem
o Making CSR expenditure tax deductible
o Balancing local area preferences with national priorities
o Violation of CSR compliance may be made a civil offence

India vs America: Solar Panel Case in WTO

❖ A ruling given by the World Trade Organization's (WTO) dispute settlement panel
on renewable energy or the solar sector in favour of India has been challenged by
the US.
❖ In June 2019, WTO panel ruled that subsidies given by America to its companies
in the renewable energy sector are violative of global trade norms and against
interests of India.
❖ Those relaxations were also found to be inconsistent with certain provisions of
the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT).
❖ GATT aims to promote trade by reducing or eliminating trade barriers such as
customs duties.
❖ The US has challenged this ruling in the WTO's Appellate Body of WTO.

SAMARTH scheme
❖ 16 out of 18 states have signed pacts with the Ministry of Textiles to partner with
it for skilling about four lakh workers as part of the 'Samarth’ scheme.
❖ Jammu & Kashmir and Odisha, which were among the eighteen states that had
earlier agreed to be on board, did not participate.
❖ The sixteen states that signed the MoUs include Arunachal Pradesh, Kerala,
Mizoram, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Assam,
Madhya Pradesh, Tripura, Karnataka, Manipur, Haryana, Meghalaya,
Jharkhand and Uttarakhand.
Scheme for Capacity Building in Textile Sector (SAMARTH)
❖ It is skill development scheme of Union Ministry of Textiles.
❖ It covering the entire value chain of the textile sector excluding Spinning &
Weaving in organized Sector.
❖ It was approved by Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) in December
2017.

e-commerce portal - Bharat Craft

❖ Union Minister Nitin Gadkari has announced plans to launch an e-commerce
portal for MSMEs called ‘Bharat Craft’.
❖ He inaugurated the 6th India International MSME Expo at New Delhi.
❖ Bharat Craft portal would be similar to e-portal such as Alibaba and Amazon.
❖ He also informed about the website called ‘Samadhaan’ where entrepreneurs can
raise his/her problems.

Emergency Economic Measures – Finance Minister

❖ On concerns of a slowing economy Union Finance Minister Nirmala announced
a number of measures to boost growth.
Some Key Measures
❖ ₹70,000 crore of capital infusion in public sector banks.
❖ Rescinded ban on the purchase of new vehicles by government departments.
❖ From October 1, IT department summons should be generated by a centralised
computer with a unique code only.
o Any other summon, sent by tax authorities and without unique code is
considered invalid.
❖ An additional ₹20,000 crore of liquidity to the housing finance companies.

1.76 Lakh crore transferred: RBI to Central Government

❖ The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) board headed by Governor Shakthi kanta Das
has decided to transfer Rs 1.76 trillion in dividend and surplus reserve to the
government.
❖ This follows the RBI board accepting the recommendation of a high-level panel
headed by its former Governor Bimal Jalan on ‘transfer of excess reserves to the
government’.
❖ The highest that RBI has ever transferred so far was Rs 65,896 crore in 2014-15.
❖ The transfer is expected to
o Act as a fiscal stimulus to the economy
o Help government meet fiscal deficit target
TM Bhasin - Bank Fraud Board
❖ The Central Vigilance Commission has constituted Advisory Board for Banking
Frauds (ABBF) to examine bank fraud of over 50 crore rupees and recommend
action.
❖ The four-member board will be headed by former Vigilance Commissioner T M
Bhasin.
❖ The banks will refer all large fraud cases above 50 crore rupees to ABBF.
❖ This will function as the first level of examination of all large fraud cases before
interference of investigative agencies.

GDP Growth
❖ India’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate slowed to a six-year low of 5%
in the first quarter of the 2019-20 financial year.
❖ It was led by a dramatic slowdown in the manufacturing sector.
❖ The growth of Gross Value Added (GVA) stood at 4.9% in the first quarter of the
financial year 2019-20, also the slowest in six years.
10 public sector banks to be merged
❖ 10 public sector banks are going to be merged into four.
❖ Canara Bank and Syndicate Bank are going to be merged.
❖ Union Bank, Andhra Bank and Corporate Bank are going to be merged.
❖ Punjab National Bank (PNB), Oriental Bank of Commerce (OBC) and United Bank
of India are going to be merged.

❖ Indian Bank and Allahabad Bank are going to be merged.

❖ In place of 27 public sector banks in 2017, now there will be only 12 public sector
banks.
❖ The largest of the mergers announced is that of Punjab National Bank with
Oriental Bank of Commerce and United Bank.
❖ The above said amalgamated entity will become the second-largest public sector
bank in India, after the State Bank of India.
 SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

TOI 270 Planetary System – TESS

❖ NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) has discovered a dwarf star
and the planetary system by the name of TOI 270.
❖ TOI 270 is about 73 light years away from Earth.
❖ TOI – 270 is the star around which – Three exoplanets TOI 270b, TOI 270c, and
TOI 270d orbit.
❖ Exoplanets are planets outside the solar system.

TB Medicine Trial
❖ On July 15, 2019 the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) launched India’s
first large-scale trial for two new tuberculosis (TB) vaccines.
❖ There are two vaccines being tested in the latest trial
o Immuvac (also known as mycobacterium indicus pranii or MIP) -
manufactured by Cadila Pharmaceuticals in Ahmedabad
o VPM1002 - manufactured by Serum Institute of India in Pune.
❖ Currently BCG (Bacille Calmette-Guerin) (BCG) vaccine is used.
❖ But it is over 100 years old and provides poor protection against pulmonary
disease in adolescents and adults.

BrahMos cruise missiles to Thailand

❖ Thailand is negotiating with India about its purchase of BrahMos supersonic
cruise missiles.
❖ Possibly it will be the first sale of BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles to another
country.
❖ Thailand has made a request for repair and refurbishing their Dornier maritime
patrol aircraft.
❖ Discussions are on to integrate Thailand into India’s coastal surveillance radar
chain network.
❖ India, Thailand and Singapore trilateral naval exercise announced by Prime
Minister at Shangri-La dialogue in June 2018 is scheduled to be held later this
year.
❖ India will host the first edition of the exercise in September this year.
 ❖ The two navies already conduct a Coordinated Patrol (CORPAT) and a new
bilateral exercise is also in the works apart from the trilateral.

Solar Cell from Kumkum

❖ The scientists at IIT Hyderabad have developed low-cost, environment-friendly
solar cells by employing an off-the-shelf dye used to make Kumkum or vermilion
in India.
❖ The Dye-Sensitised Solar Cell (DSSC) is based on New Fuchsin (NF) dye with
aqueous electrolyte and platinum-free counter electrodes.
❖ High fabrication costs of the present silicon based solar cells is a deterrent for
mass production and wide public usage.
❖ DSSC aims to address above concerns.

Electricity from Ocean Waves

❖ IIT-Madras has partnered with National Institute of Ocean Technology, Chennai
to harness electricity from ocean waves.
❖ Both institutions will together develop turbines that can harness the power of
ocean waves to generate electricity.
❖ The partnership is aimed at meeting renewable energy and climate change
objectives of the government of India.
❖ IIT Madras is celebrating its 60th foundation day in 2019 (Found in 1959).

Biofuel from Used Cooking Oil

❖ On the occasion of the World Biofuel Day (August 10), Petroleum and Natural
Gas ministry has released the Expression for Interest (EOI) by National Oil
Marketing Companies (IOC, HPCL and BPCL) for procurement of Biodiesel made
from Used Cooking Oil (UCO).
 ❖ A sticker on RUCO (Repurpose Used Cooking Oil) and a mobile app to facilitate
the collection of UCOs was also launched.
❖ The scheme is being launched in 100 cities across the country.
❖ The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India’s (FSSAI) has recently
instructed the food business operators using more than 50 litres oil a day to stop
reusing the oil more than three times.

Iron Ion Batteries – IIT M

❖ IIT-Madras researchers have for the first time fabricated a rechargeable iron
ion (Fe2+ ions) battery using mild steel as the anode.
❖ The iron ion battery is cost-effective and the amount of energy that can be
stored in the battery is also high.
❖ To produce more electric vehicles, cheaper lithium ion batteries need to be
produced.
❖ But there are no lithium reserves in India and there is global shortage of
lithium reserves.
 ❖ Therefore, Iron which has favourable physio-chemical properties like lithium
can be used for mass production of rechargeable batteries.

Lead in PVC Pipes

❖ The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed the Union Government to submit
a report on standards of lead and to phase out lead as a stabiliser in Polyvinyl
Chloride (PVC) pipes.
❖ The NGT was earlier informed that water passing through PVC pipes commonly
used in most buildings may contain toxic materials like lead.
❖ Lead has a hazardous effect on human health.

NASA Mars Mission from Iceland

❖ NASA has chosen the Lambahraun lava field in Iceland as the site to prepare for
the next mission to Mars in 2020.
❖ According to experts, Iceland which is a volcanic island in the middle of the North
Atlantic, is in many ways reminiscent of Mars.
❖ NASA’s upcoming Mars robotic space explorer will be trained on black basalt
sands of Iceland.

Bone Implant from Egg Shells

❖ Researchers from IIT-Hyderabad and Dr. B.R. Ambedkar National Institute of
Technology, Jalandhar, have developed a process by which bone implant
materials can be synthesised from eggshells.
 ❖ Currently damaged and missing bones are replaced with bone from either the
patient or a donor or artificial materials containing calcium, such as Plaster of
Paris or phosphate compounds.
❖ Bio ceramics made from egg shells were used to replace artificial tricalcium
phosphate implants (produced by using harmful chemicals).

Pretomanid Tablets – Treating Drug Resistant TB

❖ The United States has approved the use of Pretomanid Tablets to treat an
extremely drug-resistant strain of tuberculosis.
❖ Pretomanid when used in combination with antibiotics bedaquiline and linezolid
cured 89% of 107 patients with extensively drug-resistant TB after 6 months.
❖ The above three drugs together called BPaL regimen.
❖ Because of the new treatment, TB patients who were supposed to take 30 pills a
day can now take only 5 pills a day.

HarmonyOs
❖ Chinese telecom giant Huawei unveiled its own operating system HarmonyOS
❖ It is also known as Hongmeng OS in Chinese language.
❖ The platform is open source, and it's actually more of a competitor to Google's
upcoming Fuchsia.
❖ Honor is a smartphone brand owned by Huawei Technologies.
❖ Huawei was subjected to export restrictions by the United States government for
violations of United States sanctions against Iran.

Parker Solar Probe – Completion of One Year

❖ On August 12, 2019 NASA’s Parker Solar Probe completed a year in service.
❖ It is a part of NASA’s “Living With a Star” programme that explores different
aspects of the Sun-Earth system.
❖ The probe seeks to gather information about the Sun’s atmosphere.
❖ It is the closest a human-made object has ever gone to the Sun.
❖ One of Parker's main objectives is to investigate why sun’s corona is over a million
degrees Fahrenheit while the solar layers below are only a few thousand degrees
Fahrenheit each.
Biosimilar Medicines
❖ Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories has launched the vital breast cancer treatment drug -
Versavo (bevacizumab) in India.
❖ It is biosimilar of the internationally used Avastin drug.
❖ Biosimilarity means that the biological product is highly similar to the reference
product not withstanding minor differences in clinically-inactive components.
❖ There are no differences in terms of safety, purity, and potency of the product.

Piggery Development Project – Meghalaya

❖ The piggery development project is to be launched in Meghalaya financed by
the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) along with the State
Government.
❖ It is expected to boost domestic availability of meat in the entire North Eastern
Region and also promote its exports thereby generating employment.
❖ Pig farming is very important component in North East India. 28% of India’s
pigs are grown here.
❖ Hampshire, HSX 1, Large White Yorkshire, Duroc and Landrace are the
commonly grown breeds.

Chandrayaan -2: In Moon’s Orbit

❖ On August 20, 2019 Chandrayaan -2 was placed into elliptical orbit around
moon.
❖ It is now 114 km from the Moon’s surface at its nearest and 18,072 km at the
farthest.
❖ Soon it will place itself in a circular orbit of 100 km × 100 km around the Moon.
❖ Then Lander (Vikram) and Rover (Pragyaan) modules will detach themselves from
here and descend into lower orbits before finally making a landing on September
7.
Measuring Inter Planetary Shock
❖ Recently, NASA’s Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission made the first high-
resolution measurements of an interplanetary shock.
❖ Interplanetary shocks are a type of collision-less shock.
❖ Here particles transfer energy through electromagnetic fields instead of directly
bouncing into one another.
❖ These shocks are made of particles and electromagnetic waves, are launched by
the Sun.
❖ This phenomenon is observed in: supernovae, black holes and distant stars.
Fedor Robot
❖ Russia has launched an unmanned rocket carrying life-sized robot to the
International Space Station (ISS) from Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

❖ The robot is named Fedor (Final Experimental Demonstration Object Research).

❖ It is the first ever robot sent into space by Russia.

A New Planet for Beta Pictoris

❖ Astronomers have announced a new giant planet Beta Pictoris c for the Beta
Pictoris system, 60 light-years from Earth.
❖ It is the second exoplanet orbiting young debris disk Beta Pictoris.
❖ It has a mass around 9 Jupiter masses, and orbits at around 2.7 au from Beta
Pictoris.
❖ Beta Pictoris is located approximately 63 light-years away from Earth in the
constellation of Pictor.
❖ Beta Pictoris c was detected indirectly through 10 years of observation of radial
velocity data from the High Accuracy Radial Velocity Planet Searcher (HARPS)
spectroscope.
❖ It is the project of the European Southern Observatory's ESO 3.6 m Telescope at
La Silla Observatory in Chile.
World’s first space-based automatic identification system (AIS)
❖ The world’s first space-based automatic identification system (AIS) to track
merchant ships on a real-time basis will be built and operated jointly by India
and France.
❖ French space agency CNES and ISRO signed an agreement recently to start
development and production of a constellation of satellites.
❖ The constellation carrying telecommunications (AIS), radar and optical remote-
sensing instruments will be capable of monitoring ships in the Indian Ocean.
❖ The satellite-based AIS will significantly boost India’s coastal surveillance
mechanism and maritime security.
❖ The International Maritime Organization’s International Convention for the Safety
of Life at Sea (SOLAS) requires AIS to be fitted aboard all ships of 300 gross
tonnage and upwards engaged on international voyages, cargo ships of 500 gross
tonnage and upwards not engaged on international voyages and all passenger
ships irrespective of the size.
❖ India has installed a Long-Range Identification and Tracking system (LRIT) for
ships as well as a terrestrial-based AIS, but their range and functionality is
limited.
❖ LRIT can predict the position of a ship every six hours or at least four times a day
while the terrestrial-based AIS has a coverage range of 40 nautical miles.
IIT Jodhpur - hydrogen sensor
❖ A sensor that can detect hydrogen gas even when present at extremely low
concentration of 1 part per million (ppm) has been developed by researchers at
the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Jodhpur in collaboration with IIT
Hyderabad.
❖ The sensor has 30% sensitivity to detect hydrogen at 1 ppm concentration and
as high as 74% sensitivity when the concentration of the gas is 100 ppm.
❖ It takes about 25 seconds to detect hydrogen.
❖ Hydrogen gas is a pollution-free, renewable source of energy and is seen as a fuel
of choice in the future.
❖ However, hydrogen is highly explosive and flammable in nature.
❖ It is a small molecule and can readily mix with air but detecting hydrogen gas
leakage become quite difficult particularly as it is colourless and tasteless.
❖ So, a sensor that can detect it even when present at very low concentration
becomes essential.
Waterproofing material using fly ash
❖ Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Hyderabad have developed
a cheap waterproofing material by coating fly ash.
❖ Fly ash is a waste by-product from coal-based thermal power plants, with stearic
acid, which is a surfactant.
❖ While fly ash is extremely water-loving (hydrophilic), it turns into a highly water-
repelling surface once coated with stearic acid.
❖ Fly ash varies in size from 100 nanometres to a few microns and can thus provide
surfaces with different roughness based on the size of the particles chosen.
❖ Stearic acid-coated fly ash surface can be made to behave like rose petals or lotus
leaves.

Mars Sun Earth in Same Line: Solar Conjunction

❖ The daily exchange of data between antennas on Earth and those on NASA
spacecraft at Mars will be stopped between August 28 to September 7 due to
Mars solar conjunction (MSC).

❖ During MSC, Mars and Earth will be on opposite sides of the Sun.
❖ Sun’s hot, ionised gas emitted from its corona can ‘interfere’ with radio
communication between Earth and Mars.
❖ So, the spacecraft might show unexpected behaviour and commands will be
corrupted.
Images sent by Chandrayaan -2
❖ ISRO has released images of the lunar surface captured by the Terrain Mapping
Camera-2 of the Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft orbiting the Moon.

❖ The images show impact craters named after various scientists — (Arnold)
Sommerfeld (Germany), (Daniel) Kirkwood (US), Mitra (India), (Charles) Hermite
(France) etc.
❖ Mitra (1890-1963), born in Bengal, was a physicist and Padma Bhushan winner.
❖ The system of nomenclature of lunar features is now standardised.
❖ According to a resolution by the International Astronomical Union in 1973,
o Crater and crater-like formations: named after astronomers or eminent
scientists, posthumously
o Mountains: named corresponding to the geographical names of mountains
of the Earth
o Extensive dark surfaces: names that correspond to the mental states of
humans.

Why No Viral Infections in a Bacteria? - Molecular Scissors

❖ Scientists at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER),
Bhopal have determined the atomic structure of “McrBC”.
❖ McrBC is a bacterial protein.
 ❖ It functions as a molecular scissor and prevents viral infections in bacteria.
❖ This is the first report of the high-resolution structure from India, determined
using electron “cryomicroscopy”, commonly known as cryo-EM.

Practical Applications
❖ The determination of the McrBC’s structure has long-term implications in ‘phage
therapy’ and could help combat “drug-resistant infections” in the future.
❖ Phages are groups of viruses that infect and kill bacterial cells.

ENVIRONMENT
e- cars in Indian Army
❖ The Indian Army has launched an ecological initiative with employing e-Cars for
use of its officials in New Delhi in partnership with Energy Efficiency Services Ltd
(EESL).
❖ The initiative was officially launched on 01 Aug 2019 with flagging off the first lot
of E-Cars for Indian Army.
❖ EESL is Super Energy Service Company and leads the market related activities
of the National Mission for Enhanced Energy Efficiency.
❖ EESL is a joint venture of four national Public-Sector Undertakings.

NTPC Limited Power Finance Corporation

Limited
Rural Electrification POWERGRID Corporation of
Corporation Limited India Limited
BS VI Norms Exception
❖ The Ministry of Road Transport & Highways has exempted Armoured and
Specialised Vehicles of Armed/ Paramilitary Forces from BS-VI Emission Norms.
❖ The exemption has been granted due to security challenges and requirements of
suitable BS VI engines which would require considerable time to develop.
❖ Other vehicles exempted:
o Motor vehicles used for Government purposes relating to the defence
of the country
o Armoured vehicles used for maintenance of law and order and internal
security.

Canine Distemper – Dogs to Tigers

❖ Wildlife biologists have raised concern about Canine Distemper Virus (CDV).
❖ It is a potential virus that can be transmitted from CDV-infected dogs living in
wildlife sanctuaries to tigers.
❖ It is caused by a single-stranded RNA virus of the family Paramyxoviridae.
❖ It is similar to the measles virus in humans.
❖ There is no cure for canine distemper infection.
❖ Treatment typically consists of supportive care and efforts to prevent infections.
❖ In 2018, over 20 lions from the Gir forest have succumbed to the CDV infection.

Greenland lost 11 billion tons of ice

❖ The heat wave that smashed high temperature is recorded in five polar European
countries.
❖ It is accelerating the melting of the ice sheet and causing massive ice loss in the
Arctic.
❖ More than 11 billion tons of ice was lost to the oceans by surface melt on July
31st alone due to high temperature (21°C) from Greenland.
❖ This would be enough to permanently increase the world’s sea levels by 0.1 mm.
❖ While the melt from the ice sheets in July contributed to a rise of half a millimetre
in global sea levels.
❖ Greenland, the world’s largest island, is a semi-autonomous Danish territory
between the Atlantic and Arctic oceans that has 82% of its surface covered in ice.
Advanced Air Pollution Predictors
❖ Researchers from China and the U.S. have developed a novel computer model
that can help accurately “predict” air pollution levels in the region, a season in
advance.
❖ The statistical model uses certain climatic patterns related to the oceans.
❖ Oceans have a regulatory effect on the wintertime air pollution over northern
India.
❖ The study found that levels of wintertime aerosol pollution over northern India is
regulated mainly by a combination of
o El Nino - a climate cycle in the Pacific Ocean with a global impact on
weather patterns
o Antarctic Oscillation (AAO) - a low frequency mode of atmospheric
variability of the southern hemisphere.
❖ The new model could allow the government to forecast aerosol pollution
conditions in winter and accordingly improve plans for pollution control.

Arctic Wildfires
❖ Wildfires ravaging parts of the Arctic are threatening to accelerate the melting of
ice and permafrost (the permanently frozen ground layer).
❖ This will release greenhouse gases stored for thousands of years.
❖ The magnitude of wild fires is the highest than any other in the 16-year record.
 ❖ Scientists warn that the forest fires will ignite peat fires.
❖ Peat stores large amounts of carbon, which on burning releases record amounts
of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere.

World Water Crisis

❖ According to new data from the World Resources Institute (WRI), 1/4 of the
world’s population faces huge water stress, with bulk of them living in India.
❖ Irrigated agriculture, industries, and municipalities withdraw more than 80% of
their available supply on average every year.
❖ 17 countries are facing withdrawals of 80% or more from available supply. India
is 13th among these 17 countries.
❖ Groundwater tables in Northern India aquifers declined at a rate of more than 8
cm per year between 1990 and 2014.
❖ The Aqueduct tool used by the World Resources Institute (WRI) ranks countries
on the basis of “water risk scores”, which are determined using 13 indicators of
water risk.

India’s Proposals to CITES

❖ India has submitted proposals regarding changes to the listing of various wildlife
species in the CITES LIST.
❖ CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species on Wild Fauna
and Flora) is an international treaty to ensure that trade in wild animals and
plants do not threaten their survival.
 ❖ It aims to boost the protection of all the following animal species as they are
facing a high risk of international trade.
Species
o Tokay gecko
o Wedgefish
Indian star tortoise
❖ India also proposed re-listing of the star tortoise from CITES Appendix II to
Appendix I.
❖ The species faces two threats
o Loss of habitat to agriculture
o Illegal harvesting for the pet trade
Smooth-coated otter and Small-clawed otter
❖ Proposed that the listing be moved from CITES Appendix II to Appendix I for the
more endangered species.
Indian rosewood
❖ For the Indian rosewood, the proposal is to remove the species from CITES
Appendix II.

Irrigation and Changing Rainfall Patterns

❖ For the first time, researchers from IIT- Bombay have found that even a
change in irrigation policy has
o potential to shift monsoon rainfall to North Western India.
o intensify extreme rainfall in Central India.
How it works?
❖ During the month of September, agriculture lands are ‘highly irrigated’ and
the crops are matured.
❖ As a result, there is maximum evapotranspiration taking place, leading to
highest contribution of moisture from the land to the atmosphere.
❖ As a result of increased moisture, rainfall pattern and intensity has increased.
❖ This study was based on land-surface model specifically taking into account
Indian irrigation and agriculture system.
❖ The study did not cover southern India.
Tiger Census 2018
❖ The tiger census did not register any presence of the striped big cat in Buxa Tiger
Reserve (TR) in West Bengal, Palamu TR in Jharkhand and Dampa TR in
Mizoram.
❖ The report, Status of Tigers Co-predators & Prey in India - 2018, was released by
Prime Minister on 2019 July 29th of the International Tiger Day.
❖ In the Status report of 2014, the tiger population of Buxa, Palamu and Dampa
stood at 2 (Bauxa TR), 3 (Dampa TR) and 3 (Palamu TR).

National Policy on Efficient Management of Resources

❖ The Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has
brought out the National Draft Policy on Efficient Management of Resources.
❖ The policy aims to achieve the following goals
o 100 per cent recycling of PET plastic by 2025
o A total ban on disposal of any recyclable waste (plastic, metal, wood) into
landfills by 2025
o 90 per cent recycling of all vehicles made after 2000 that have reached the
end-life stage
❖ For the first time in India, it introduces the idea of “extended producer
responsibility”- i.e placing responsibility for a product's end-of-life environmental
impacts on ‘producers’.

First Global Analysis of Nematodes

❖ According to the first global analysis of nematodes published in the journal
Nature, there are about 57 billion nematodes for every human being on Earth.
❖ These nematodes play a crucial role in the environment as they are responsible
for production of about 19% of ammonia of the soil.
❖ They are responsible for 2.2% of the total carbon emission from soils.
❖ Sub-Arctic regions have the highest abundance of nematodes followed by
Temperate and Tropical regions.
PET Bottles
❖ A comprehensive evaluation by the CSIR-Central Food Technological Research
Institute (CFRTI), Mysore has determined that PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate)
bottles are safe.
❖ The CFRTI analysis concluded that antimony, arsenic, barium, cadmium,
chromium, cobalt, lead, mercury, selenium and zinc “were below” their detection
limits (BDL) of 0.001 mg/kg.

Decline in Global Freshwater Animals

❖ International team of Scientists have now quantified the global decline of big
freshwater animals.

❖ From 1970 to 2012, global populations of freshwater megafauna declined by 88

percent - twice the loss of vertebrate populations on land or in the ocean.
❖ Large fish species are particularly threatened. Ex: sturgeons, salmons, giant
catfishes.
 ❖ The baiji, a Chinese river dolphin, is likely the first dolphin species driven to
extinction by humans.
❖ The two main threats are:
o Overexploitation
o Loss of free-flowing rivers

Geographical Indication (GI) Tag

❖ The Ministry of Commerce & Industry’s Department for Promotion of Industry
and Internal Trade has registered 3 more new Geographical Indication (GI) tags.
❖ These are Tirur betel Leaf, Tawlhlohpuan and Mizo Puanchei.
❖ GI is an indication used on products that have a specific geographical origin and
possess the qualities or reputation that are due to that origin.
❖ Tirur betel Leaf (Kerala) is valued both for its mild stimulant action and medicinal
properties.
❖ Tawlhlohpuan (Mizoram) is compactly woven fabric from Mizoram.
❖ Mizo Puanchei (Mizoram) is colourful Mizo shawl. It is important and an essential
possession for every Mizo lady.
Stubble Burning
❖ Burning of paddy crop residue declined by 41 per cent last year over 2016-level
in Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi-NCR.
❖ It was done through the various efforts under the Central Sector Scheme on
‘Promotion of Agricultural Mechanization for In-Situ Management of Crop
Residue in the State of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and NCT of Delhi’.
❖ Happy Seeder/Zero Tillage Technology, which is a tractor-mounted device, has
the capability to cut and lift the previous crop (ex- rice straw) and sow a new
(wheat) crop in its place.
❖ Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) is implementing this scheme
through its Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs).
❖ Crop residue burning in north-west India contributes to air pollution, health
hazards, disruption of transportation, school closures and soil degradation.

Largest Anthropogenic So2 Emitter - India

❖ According to NASA data and environmental NGO Greenpeace, India is the world’s
largest emitter of anthropogenic sulphur dioxide, which is produced from coal
burning.
❖ India has more than 15% of all anthropogenic sulphur dioxide (SO2) hotspots in
the world detected by the OMI (Ozone Monitoring Instrument) satellite.
❖ The Norilsk smelter complex in Russia being the largest SO2 emission hotspot in
the world.
❖ But according to country-wise world rankings, India was found at the top position
in emitting SO2 as it has the maximum hotspots.
❖ Tamilnadu is the highest emitter of anthropogenic sulphur dioxide, generated
chiefly from coal fired power plants. Chennai is ranked 29 in world.
First Dead Glacier of Iceland - Okjokull Glacier
❖ Okjokull is the first Icelandic glacier to lose its status as glacier.
❖ What once was glacier now that has been reduced to a small patch of ice atop a
volcano.
❖ It was officially declared dead in 2014 at the age of 700 when it was no longer
thick enough to move.
❖ In Iceland, the loss of Okjokull glacier was commemorated by people with a
plaque.

Illegal Trade in Tiger

❖ A new report by Traffic, an environmental NGO has quantified the illegal global
trade in tigers and tiger parts over a 19-year period between 2000 and 2018.
❖ Although Tigers are listed in Appendix I of CITES recent years have revealed an
increase in tiger captive breeding to fuel demand for various tiger products.
❖ All commercial international trade in animals listed in Appendix I of CITES is
banned.
❖ The top three countries with the highest number of seizure incidents were India
(625), followed by China and Indonesia.
❖ In terms of various body parts seized, India had the highest share among
countries for tiger skins (38%), bones (28%) and claws and teeth (42%).
Harmful Nitrates – Girl Infants
❖ In a new World Bank report about water pollution worldwide, one aspect covered
is the “long-term impact of nitrate exposure” experienced during infancy.
❖ Nitrate levels in groundwater aquifers in India exceeded permissible levels in
more than 50 % of the districts across 19 states.
❖ An infant girl who has been exposed to nitrate levels above the safety threshold
in the first three years of life experiences a 1-2 cm decrease in her adult height.
❖ Female adult height had increased by approximately 4 cm over the last century
in India.
❖ Nitrate exposure will wipe out almost half of this gain in height.

Amazon Forest Fires

❖ The Amazon rainforest has been burning at a rate which has alarmed
environmentalists and governments worldwide.
❖ Amazon has lost more than 344,500 hectares of forest cover between January
and June 2019.
❖ Brazil’s current Far-right President, Jair Bolsonaro has been blamed for
encouraging wide spread tree-clearing activities for agriculture and mining.
❖ Though forest fires are common in Amazon between the July – October dry
season, most of them are due to natural reasons.
❖ Amazon rainforests are important because
o It produces 20 per cent of the oxygen in the Earth’s atmosphere.
o It influences the water cycle on a global scale not just regional scale.
o An area of rich biodiversity and home to indigenous communities whose
live is now under threat.
Global Coal Usage
❖ According to the findings of International Energy Agency (IEA) and 2019 BP
Statistical Review, Asia is the world’s largest producer and consumer of coal,
accounting for 75 % of global demand.
❖ China is the world’s largest consumer of Coal, followed by India, Japan and South
Korea.

India’s Air Quality Monitoring Sensors

❖ The Union Environment Ministry has tasked the CSIR–National Physical
Laboratory with ‘certifying’ air quality monitoring instruments.
❖ The National Clean Air Campaign was launched in 2019 to reduce particulate
matter (PM) pollution by 20%-30% in at least 102 cities by 2024.
❖ This has increased demand for low cost air quality monitoring instruments that
can monitor levels of nitrous oxides, ozone and particulate matter.
❖ Delhi has maximum number of air quality sensors – around 35.

CoP-18 on CITES at Geneva

❖ The Eighteenth Conference of the Parties (CoP-18) of the Convention on
International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) was
recently held in Geneva.
❖ It was decided to move the smooth-coated otter (Lutrogale perspicillata) from
CITES Appendix II to CITES Appendix I.
❖ The Tokay gecko (Gekko gecko) will be included in CITES Appendix II.
❖ The Indian star tortoise was upgraded to CITES Appendix I, giving it the highest
level of international protection from commercial trade.

Plastic to Waste – IIP, Dehradun

❖ CSIR- Indian Institute of Petroleum (IIP) has set up a waste plastic to diesel plant
in Dehradun, Uttarakhand as a step towards eradicating plastic.
❖ The plant has a capacity to produce 800-litre diesel from 1 tonne of plastic.
❖ On August 2018, India’s first ever biofuel jet ran on biofuel produced by CSIR-
IIP.
 ❖ Located at Dehradun, this institute was founded in 1960 and dedicated to R & D
in in hydrocarbon sector.

Rejuvenation of Degraded Land: 50 lakh hectares

❖ Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar announced that India has
committed to rejuvenate 50 lakh hectares (5 million) of degraded land between
2021 and 2030.
❖ About 29% (about 96.4 million hectares) are considered degraded in India.
❖ In January 2019, India became part of the “Bonn Challenge”.
❖ Bonn Challenge is a global effort to bring 150 million hectares of the world’s
deforested and degraded land into restoration by 2020, and 350 million hectares
by 2030.

Gooty Tarantula Spiders – Gingee, TN

❖ Gooty Tarantula spiders which is endemic to Eastern Ghats was spotted for the
first time beyond its known habitat. (original habitat: Nandyala, Andhra Pradesh)
❖ It was spotted at in the Pakkamalai Reserve Forests near Gingee in Villupuram
district.
❖ Scientific Name: Poecilotheria metallica Common Name: Peacock Parachute
Spider
❖ IUCN Status: Critically endangered
 STATES

AMBIS Biometric Criminal Tracking System in Mumbai

❖ A state-of-the-art tracking system for criminals arrested in Mumbai was
launched.
❖ Named AMIBS (The Automated Multimodal Biometric Identification System) it is
first of its kind to be used by a police force in India.
❖ AMBIS is connected to a central server and stores photographs, fingerprints and
retinal scans of all criminals of record.
❖ It helps in identifying suspects at the click of a mouse and providing information
about criminal elements to other police forces, be it within the country or abroad.

Mobile Library Buses in Delhi

❖ The Union Minister of State for Culture and Tourism has launched Mobile Library
Buses in New Delhi.
❖ They were procured under (Corporate Social Responsibility) CSR assistance from
Airports Authority of India.
❖ The Mobile Library Buses were launched under the “Ghar Ghar Dastak Ghar
Ghar Pustak” Scheme of the Delhi Public Library (DPL).
❖ Under this scheme, DPL aims to provide books to the citizens of Delhi, especially,
the residents of slums, resettlement colonies and rural areas.
❖ DPL is a national library established in 1951 with the aid Of UNESCO and Union
Government.

The Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Bill, 2019

❖ The Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Bill, 2019 has been passed
by both Houses of Parliament.
❖ The Bill amends the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation Act, 2004 and replaces an
Ordinance promulgated on March 1, 2019.
❖ The Bill now extends reservation in appointment and promotions in certain state
government posts to persons belonging to socially and educationally backward
classes for those persons living in areas adjoining the International Border also.
❖ Earlier only people living in areas adjoining the Actual Line of Control were
eligible for reservation.
 ❖ In the 2004 Act, people who live in areas adjoining the Actual Line of Control and
earning more than 3 lakhs were not eligible for reservation.
❖ The amendment extends the provision to people living in areas adjoining the
International Border also.

Assam’s Maijan Gold Tea - New world record

❖ A rare variety of tea in Assam was auctioned for Rs. 70, 501 a kg at the Guwahati
Tea Auction Centre (GTAC).
❖ Orthodox Golden Tips, from the Maijan tea estate, smashed the record set by
another specialty tea-the Manohari Gold-that was sold for Rs. 50,000 at the same
auction.
❖ The specialty tea comes from the Maijan garden in Assam’s Dibrugarh district.
❖ The garden is owned by the Assam Company India, the oldest tea company in the
world.

Kosi-Mechi River Interlinking Project

❖ Union Government has approved Rs 4,900 crore Kosi-Mechi Interlinking project
for interlinking of Kosi and Mechi rivers of Bihar.
❖ This is the second major river interlinking project in the country to be approved
by government after the Ken-Betwa project in Madhya Pradesh.

❖ The project is expected to

o Relieve North Bihar (especially Seemanchal region) from menace of
recurring floods
o Irrigate 2.14 lakh hectares of command areas
Rajasthan Honour Killing and Mob Lynching Bill
❖ The Rajasthan Prohibition of Interference with the Freedom of Matrimonial
Alliances in the Name of Honour and Tradition Bill, 2019 was passed by the
Rajasthan government.
❖ It aims to curb incidents of ‘honour killing’ and mob lynching in the State.
❖ Provisions have been made for death penalty or life imprisonment for murdering
couples in the name of family honour.
❖ Manipur was the first state to pass a law in December, 2018 curbing lynching
cases. Now Rajasthan became the 2nd state.

Haryana Control of Organised Crime Bill, 2019

❖ The Haryana Assembly passed the Haryana Control of Organised Crime Bill,
2019.
❖ The bill aims to make special provisions for prevention and control of criminal
activity by organised crime syndicates.
❖ It empowers the state government with powers to intercept wire, electronic or oral
communication to control crimes.

Uniform Civil Code in Goa

❖ The Goa government has announced that it would amend the Portuguese-era
Uniform Civil Code (UCC) so as to allow non-Goans register their marriages in
the state.
❖ Registration of marriage of non-Goans is currently banned in Goa.
❖ UCC was introduced in goa in the year 1870 by the erstwhile Portuguese rulers.
❖ It was retained even after the territory was merged with India in the year 1961.
❖ In 1987 Goa was made a separate State.

Tripura – National Liberation Front of Twipra

❖ A peace agreement was signed between Government of India, State government
of Tripura and Tripura’s banned insurgency group National Liberation Front of
Twipra (NLFT-SD) led by Sabir Kumar Debbarma.
❖ As per the agreement NLFT-SD has agreed to abjure path of violence and join
mainstream.
 ❖ NLFT has been banned under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) since
1997.
❖ The surrendered cadres will be given surrender benefits as per ‘Scheme for
Surrender-cum-Rehabilitation of Militants in the North-East, 2018’ of Ministry of
Home Affairs.

Tribal Welfare measures in Madhya Pradesh

❖ The State government in Madhya Pradesh will provide debit cards with an
‘overdraft limit’ of Rs 10,000 to every tribal
❖ It also announced that the all loans taken by tribals from local money lenders
will be waived.
❖ From now on, every tribal family in Madhya Pradesh will be given 50kg foodgrains
in case of a birth and 100kg in case of death in the family.
❖ A museum in the memory of tribal kings Shankar Shah and Raghunath Shah
will be built at Jabalpur.

Gogabeel Lake
❖ Gogabeel, an ox-bow lake in Bihar’s Katihar district, has been declared as the
state’s first ‘Community Reserve’.
❖ Gogabeel is formed from the flow of the rivers Mahananda and Kankhar in the
north and the Ganga in the south and east.
❖ In 2004, Gogabeel, including the neighbouring Baghar Beel and Baldia Chaur,
were given the status of an IBA (Important Bird Area of India) by the IBCN (Indian
Bird Conservation Network).

Reservation in Chhattisgarh
❖ Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel announced an increase in
reservations for OBCs and Scheduled Castes in state government jobs and
education.
❖ It will make Chhattisgarh to have a total of 72 % reservation (32 % for STs, 13 %
for SCs and 27 % to OBCs).
❖ This makes it the highest reservation in the country and far above the 50 % cap
on quotas mandated by the Supreme Court.
India's first underwater train – Kolkatta
❖ India's first underwater train project in Kolkata is almost complete.
❖ The rail route is under Hubli river.
❖ This 16-kilometer long Kolkata Metro project will connect Salt Sector 5 with
Howrah Maidan.

Small Savings Incentive Scheme – Odisha

❖ Odisha government has launched a novel Small Savings Incentive Scheme.
❖ People can deposit a minimum amount of Rs. 2,000/- in any post office or bank
within Odisha.
❖ They will be issued a free web-based coupon from the office of the Collectors, Sub
Collectors and BDOs.
❖ Lucky draw will be held and people will be given gifts so as to encourage small
savings and protect people from loan sharks and money lenders.

Mukhya Mantri Krishi Ashirwad Yojana – Jharkhand

❖ Vice President Venkaiah Naidu inaugurated the Mukhya Mantri Krishi Ashirwad
Yojana in Jharkhand.
❖ It aims to benefit over 13.5 lakh farmers:
o farmers holding land of an acre or less would be eligible for receiving Rs
5,000.
o farmers with five acres of land would be eligible to receive Rs 25,000 in
two fixed instalments.
 ❖ This is the first scheme initiated by the state in which 100 per cent settlement
would be through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) medium.

Bunker Museum
❖ President Ram Nath Kovind inaugurated the underground Bunker Museum at
Raj Bhavan in Mumbai.
❖ The bunker dates back to the pre-World War I era.
❖ Earlier, the President also unveiled the foundation stone for the proposed
reconstruction of Jal Bhushan, the Governor's office-cum-residential building.
❖ Jal Bhushan has a history of nearly 200 years.

UP Tree Planation Drive

❖ The Uttar Pradesh government set a world record by planting over 22 crore
saplings in a day on the 77th anniversary of the Quit India Movement.
❖ During the state-wide plantation drive 'Vriksharopan Mahakumbh', five crore
saplings were planted in one hour.
❖ The state has entered the Guinness World Records for distributing 76,823
saplings simultaneously in six hours.

❖ The UP’s chief minister also launched the plantation drive by planting
'Harishankari', which is a combination of peepal, pakar and banyan planted
together.
Jung-e-Azadi Memorial
❖ On the eve of the 73rd Independence Day, Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh
inaugurated the third phase of Jung-e-Azadi Memorial at Kartarpur near
Jalandhar.
❖ The third phase is dedicated to the martyrs of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre
and the unsung heroes who were incarcerated in Andaman Cellular Jail during
freedom struggle.
❖ Punjab government’s ‘Connect with Your Roots’ programme, helps youth visiting
as part of programme to personally see rich cultural legacy of state at Jung-E-
Azadi Memorial, Partition Museum at Amritsar and Virasat-E-Khalsa (Anandpur
Sahib city).

Aadi Mahotsav
❖ Aadi Mahotsav or National Tribal Festival will be organised at Polo Ground, Leh-
Ladakh.
❖ It aims to boost tribal economy in Ladakh.
 ❖ It is being held at Ladakh for the first time.
❖ It is a joint initiative of Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs and Tribal Cooperative
Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED).
❖ Theme of festival: A celebration of the spirit of Tribal Craft, Culture and
Commerce.
❖ Ladakh is known for pashmina shawls and apricots.
❖ In Ladakh tribals make up 70% of population.

New Education Model

❖ A new higher education model has been launched in Rajasthan.
❖ It is titled Resource Assistance for Colleges with Excellence (RACE).
❖ It aims for the distribution of faculties and movable assets among the government
colleges at the district level to rationalise the availability of resources.

Madhya Pradesh – Latest Legislative Council

❖ The Madhya Pradesh government has indicated that it plans to initiate steps
towards creation of a Legislative Council.
❖ Currently, six states have Legislative Councils.
❖ Jammu and Kashmir too had one, until bifurcation.
Chilika and Ansupa lakes – Odisha
❖ The Odisha Wetland Authority has approved implementation of an integrated
management plan to conserve two of its largest lakes.
o Chilika - India’s largest brackish water lagoon, famous for its endangered
Irrawaddy dolphins and migratory birds during winter.
o Ansupa – Odisha’s largest freshwater lake, famous for sweet water fish. It
is also wintering ground for 32 species of migratory birds.
Kutch Desert – A Former Tropical Forest
❖ A team of Indian and French researchers have concluded that the hot arid desert
of Kutch was once a humid sub-tropical forest with a variety of birds, freshwater
fish and possibly giraffes and rhinos.
❖ Their conclusions are based on the discovery of a tranche of vertebrate fossils
from nearly 14 million years ago in a geological period known as the Miocene.
❖ The fossils were found at a place called Palasava.
❖ The findings point to clues on how mammals dispersed between Africa and the
Indian subcontinent nearly 300 million years ago.

Amazon at Hyderabad
❖ Amazon has opened its largest campus in the world in Hyderabad.
❖ The campus covers 1.8 million square feet and can accommodate 15,000
workers.
❖ This is Amazon’s first owned-building outside of the US and is also its largest
tech base outside the Seattle headquarters.

Highest ever rainfall in 70 years

❖ Himachal Pradesh received the highest ever rainfall for a 24-hour period, since
records began almost 70 years ago.
❖ The state as a whole received 102.5 mm and this was 1,065 per cent more than
normal for this day.
❖ The highest rainfall of 252 mm was recorded in Bilaspur district, which was 2,586
per cent more than its normal level.

Women Government Drivers

❖ The Kerala government has decided to appoint women drivers in government
departments and public sector undertakings.
❖ This is the first time any state government has decided to allow women to drive
government vehicles.
Google and Telangana
❖ The Telangana Government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)
with Google India for ‘Digital Telangana’.
❖ The MoU will improve and get more local language content online using Google's
digital publishing tool “Navlekha”.
❖ Google would provide support to overall digitalisation drive of the state.

Karnataka suspends Golden Chariot

❖ The Karnataka State government has temporarily suspended the operation of
South India’s only luxury train - the Golden Chariot.

❖ The service has been stopped due to heavy loss.

❖ It connects the important tourist spots in the Indian states of Karnataka, Goa,
Kerala & Tamil Nadu as well as Pondicherry.
❖ It is named after the Stone Chariot in the Vitthala Temple at Hampi.
❖ The train, along with the Deccan Odyssey, is designed on the lines of the more
popular Palace on Wheels.
 PERSONALITIES, AWARDS AND EVENTS

Ravish Kumar – Magsaysay Award

❖ NDTV journalist Ravish Kumar has been honoured with the 2019 Ramon
Magsaysay Award.
❖ He was awarded for “harnessing journalism to give voice to the voiceless" and his
"unfaltering commitment to a professional, ethical journalism of the highest
standards"
❖ Magsaysay is the highest honour given to Asian individuals and organizations
and often referred to as the Asian version of the Nobel Prize.
❖ Other Awardees:

World Debating Championship

❖ An Indian team emerged world champion at the World Debating Championships
2019, defeating Canada.
❖ The five-member Indian team includes Tejas Subramaniam (PSBB School),
Chennai.
❖ The tournament, which was held in Thailand, saw 600 participants from 64
nations, and the Indian team reportedly did not lose a single round.
❖ After an elaborate selection process, the five students were chosen by the Indian
Schools Debating Society (ISDS) and trained for months.
Sushma Swaraj passed away
❖ Former External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, 67 who is appreciated for
brining empathy and human approach to India’s diplomacy has passed away.
❖ Ms. Swaraj had many firsts to her credit
o India’s youngest-ever Cabinet Minister of Haryana State (Aged 25 in the
year 1977)
o First woman Chief Minister of Delhi in 1998
o First woman spokesperson for any national political party
o Second woman to hold the External Affairs Minister (2014-19) after Indira
Gandhi.
o Indian Parliament's first and the only female MP honoured with the
Outstanding Parliamentarian Award.
o BJP's first female Chief Minister, Union Cabinet Minister, general
secretary, Spokesperson, Leader of Opposition and Minister of External
Affairs.
o Second Female to the Office of Leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha
(2009-14) after Sonia Gandhi (1999-2004).

Vikram Sarabhai Journalism Award in Space Science, Technology and

Research
❖ As part of centenary year celebrations of Dr. Vikram Sarabhai, father of Indian
space programme, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has instituted two
categories of awards in journalism.
 ❖ This award is to recognize and reward journalists who have actively contributed
towards the field of space science, applications, and research.
❖ The nominations are open to all Indians who have a good experience in
journalism.
❖ The articles published by journalists or freelancers of print media between 2019
to 2020 will be considered.

Nobel Laureate Toni Morrison

❖ African-American Woman author and Nobel laureate Toni Morrison has passed
away.
❖ She is well known for her works like Song of Solomon (1977), Beloved (1987).

❖ Morrison became the first Black woman to be awarded the Nobel Prize in
Literature in 1993.
❖ She wrote extensively about the persecution faced by Black people in America.

Book on Venkaih Naidu

❖ Home Minister Amit Shah released a book titled “Listening, Learning & Leading”
chronicling the two years in office by Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu.
 ❖ The book was released in Chennai at a function organized by Information and
Broadcasting Ministry.

Vikram Sara Bhai – 100th Birth Anniversary

❖ Google celebrated the 100th birth anniversary of scientist and innovator Vikram
Sarabhai on August 12th, with a doodle.
❖ The lander on India's moon mission Chandrayaan II which will finally land near
the South Pole of the moon on September 20, 2019 is named Vikram in his
honour.
❖ He is considered as the father of India's space program.
❖ He received the Padma Bhushan in 1966 and was conferred the Padma
Vibhushan posthumously in 1972.
❖ In 1973, a crater on the moon was named after him.
❖ Sarabhai started a project for the fabrication and launch of an Indian satellite.
❖ As a result, the first Indian satellite, Aryabhata, was put in orbit in 1975 from a
Russian cosmodrome.
❖ He was the founder Chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) from
1963 to 1972.
❖ He was also the Founder and Chairman (1963–1971) of Space Applications
Centre at Ahmedabad.
❖ Other institutions founded by him.
o Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) in Ahmedabad, 1947
 o Indian National Committee for Space Research, 1962
o Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station in Thiruvananthapuram,
1963
o Indian Institute of Management in Ahmedabad, 1961
o Community Science Centre in Ahmedabad, 1960
o Darpan Academy for Performing Arts in Ahmedabad, 1949

Distinguished positions
❖ President of the Physics section, Indian Science Congress (1962).
❖ President of the General Conference of the I.A.E.A., Vienna (1970).
❖ Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission of India (1966 –1971).
❖ Vice-President, Fourth UN Conference on 'Peaceful uses of Atomic Energy'
(1971).

National Youth Awards

❖ Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Kiren Rijiju conferred the National Youth
Awards for 2016-17 on twenty individuals and three organisations on the
occasion of International youth day.
❖ The awards are presented to young persons and voluntary organizations in
recognition of their outstanding work in the field of national development and
social service.
❖ Also, three awards were also given to individuals for the photo exhibition on
China through Eyes of Indian Youth-2019.
Abdul Kalam Award to K. Sivan
❖ ISRO Chairman Kailasavadivoo Sivan, was awarded Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam
Award by Tamil Nadu government.

❖ He was awarded in recognition of his stellar work in promotion of science and

technology.
❖ He is known popularly known as ‘Rocket Man’.
❖ He was chief architect of SITARA, a 6D trajectory simulation software.
❖ ISRO successfully launched its Chandrayaan-2 mission under the leadership of
K. Sivan.

Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Awards

❖ Bajrang Punia and Celebrated para-athlete Deepa Malik are selected for Rajiv
Gandhi kehl Ratna award in 2019.
❖ Deepa became the first Indian female athlete to win a Paralympics medal, when
she won a silver at the 2016 Games.
❖ Last year, she shifted to javelin and discus throw and created a new Asian record
in Jakarta, becoming the only Indian woman to win medals in three consecutive
Asian Para Games (2010, 2014, 2018).
❖ She will become the second para-athlete to be honoured with the prestigious
award after javelin thrower Devendra Jhajharia in 2017.
About
❖ Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award is the highest sporting award in India.
❖ It is awarded annually by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.
 ❖ The Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award can be given maximum three persons in a
year.
❖ Viswanathan Anand was the first awardee of the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award
in 1992.

Maharishi Badrayan vyas Samman

❖ President of India Ramnath Kovind awarded Maharshi Badrayan Vyas Samman
to following scholars of Sanskrit, Persian, Arabic, Pali, Prakrit, Classical
Kannada, Classical Telugu, Classical Malayalam and Classical Odiya for year
2019.
❖ It is conferred on persons once a year on the Independence Day in recognition of
their substantial contribution in the field of the above said languages.
❖ The award was introduced in the year 2002 by the Union Ministry of Human
Resource Development.
❖ It is given to selected young scholars in the age group of 30 to 45 years.
❖ In addition to this President also awarded certificate of honour to following
scholars of Sanskrit, Persian, Arabic, Pali, Prakrit, Classical Kannada, Classical
Telugu, Classical Malayalam and Classical Odiya for year 2019.
❖ It was introduced in 1958 to honour scholars of Sanskrit, Persian and Arabic
languages and later in 1996 it was extended to cover Prakrit and Pali as well.
❖ It is awarded to scholars aged 60 years and above.
Prasar Bharti’s 2 New Awards
❖ State broadcaster Prasar Barti has announced two new awards - Neelum Sharma
Tejaswini award and Achyutananda Sahoo Award.
❖ Former Prasar Barti employee Neelum Sharma had also been awarded the 2018
“Nari Shakti Puraskar (NSP)” for her women centric programs.
❖ NSP is India's highest civilian award for recognising the achievements and
contributions of women.

Eminent Engineer Award- Prabhakar Singh

❖ Prabhakar Singh, Director General, Central Public Works Department (CPWD)
has been chosen for the elite and prestigious Eminent Engineer Award for Year
2019 by Institution of Engineers (India).
❖ He is chosen for his distinguished and exemplary Service in field of Engineering
and Technology.
❖ He will be awarded on Engineers Day, observed on 15 September 2019 in New
Delhi.
About
❖ Institution of Engineers (India) is the national organization of engineers in India.
❖ It was established on 13 September 1920 in Kolkata (West Bengal).

Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award 2018

❖ Aparna Kumar, a 2002 batch Uttar Pradesh Cadre IPS officer has been selected
for the Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award 2018.
❖ Aparna is the first IPS officer to be bestowed with this prestigious award.
❖ This is the highest National award at par with Arjuna award for Adventure sports
in India.
❖ These awards are given every year to recognize the achievements of persons in
the fields of adventure.
❖ Categories:
o Land Adventure: Aparna Kumar, Dipankar Ghosh, Manikandan K
o Water Adventure: Prabhat Raju Koli
o Air Adventure: Rameshwer Jangra
o Life Time Achievement: Wangchuk Sherpa
Pushkin Award – Professor Meeta Narain
❖ Professor Meeta Narain of Jawaharlal Nehru University has been conferred the
prestigious ‘Pushkin Medal – 2019’ for her contribution to Russian studies
abroad.
❖ Narain has contributed towards re–writing of Russian studies textbooks for
graduate students after the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
❖ Books influenced by her are used in many former Soviet nation institutes,
Europe, the US and other countries including India.
About
❖ The Pushkin Medal is the highest honour given to an Indian scholar by the
Russian government for promoting Russian language and culture.
❖ It was instituted in 1999 and named after famous Russian author and poet
Alexander S. Pushkin.

IndTokyo
❖ A mobile app was launched to help para-athletes to look up accessible places in
Tokyo during their visit to the city for the 2020 Paralympics Games.
❖ The application is named as IndTokyo.
 ❖ It was launched at the 'Countdown to Tokyo 2020' event by Arhan Bagati -
Awareness and Impact Ambassador of Paralympic Committee of India.

Distinguished Fellowship of IOD

❖ Shashi Shanker was honoured with the Distinguished Fellowship of the Institute
of Directors (IOD), 2019.
❖ Shanker is the Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of Oil and Natural Gas
Corporation (ONGC).
❖ The award was given in the 29th Institute of Directors (IOD) Annual Day
Ceremony.
❖ IOD trains Directors on corporate Boards and gives Golden Peacock Awards to
corporates for 15 different corporate functions.
❖ Theme of 2019 - 'Future Boards: Leading Strategy to Embrace Sustainability'.
National Sports Awards 2019 and National Adventure Awards 2018
❖ President Ram Nath Kovind presented the National Sports Day Awards on the
114th birth anniversary of Major Dhyan Chand.
❖ The Selection panel for National Sports awards had 12 members that was headed
by Supreme Court Judge Justice (Retd) Mukundakam Sharma.
❖ Following sportspersons were conferred with Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna 2019:

S.No. Name of the Sportsperson Discipline

1. Ms. Deepa Malik Para Athletics
2. Bajrang Punia Wrestler

❖ The Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award was awarded to Deepa Malik
❖ She becomes the first Paralympian to receive the prestigious honour.
❖ Bajrang Punia, a freestyle wrestler, has also been recommended for the Rajiv
Gandhi Khel Ratna Award.
❖ Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award is the highest sporting honour in the country.
Dronacharya Awards for the year 2019
❖ Regular Category
S.No. Name of the Coach Discipline
1. Vimal Kumar Badminton
2. Sandeep Gupta Table tennis

❖ Life-Time Category
S.No. Name of the Coach Discipline
1. Merzban Patel Hockey
2. Rambir Singh Khokhar Kabaddi
3. Sanjay Bhardwaj Cricket

Arjuna Awards for the year 2019

S.No. Name of the Sportsperson Discipline

1. S. Bhaskaran Body Building
2. Sonia Lather Boxing
3. Chinglensana Singh Kangujam Hockey
4. Ajay Thakur Kabaddi
5. Gaurav Singh Gill Motor Sports
6. PramodBhagat Para Sports (Badminton)
7. Harmeet Rajul Desai Table Tennis
8. Pooja Dhanda Wrestling
9. Fouaad Mirza Equestrian
10. Gurpreet Singh Sandhu Football
11. Poonam Yadav Cricket
12. Swapna Barman Athletics
13. Bhamidipati Sai Praneeth Badminton
14. Simran Singh Shergill Polo
Dhyan Chand Awards for the year 2019

S.No. Name Discipline

Manuel Fredricks Hockey
Arup Basak Table Tennis
Manoj Kumar Wrestling
Nitten Kirrtane Tennis
C. Lalremsanga Archery

Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Awards, 2018

Sl. No. Name Category

1. Ms. Aparna Kumar Land Adventure

2. Late Shri Dipankar Ghosh (Award received Land Adventure

by his family member)

3. Shri Manikandan K. Land Adventure

4. Shri Prabhat Raju Koli Water Adventure

5. Shri RameshwerJangra Air Adventure

6. Shri Wangchuk Sherpa Life Time Achievement

Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar for the year 2019.

S. No. Category Entity recommended for

Rashtriya Khel Protsahan
Puruskar, 2019

1. Identification and Nurturing of Budding and GaganNarang Sports

Young Talent’ Promotion Foundation
GoSports Foundation

2. Sports for Development Rayalaseema Development

Trust

❖ Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (MAKA) Trophy, 2019 has been conferred on Punjab
University, Chandigarh.
Lalit Kala Akademi – 65th Foundation Day
❖ Lalit Kala Akademi celebrated its 65th Foundation Day on August 5th, 2019.
❖ Close to 500 postcards written and painted by artists from across India, form the
massive installation that pays tribute to the Indian Army.
❖ Lalit Kala Akademi, the national academy of art, was inaugurated on August 5,
1954 in pursuance of a dream for a cultural and national identity.
❖ It is now chaired by sculptor Uttam Pacharne.

UEFA Awards
❖ Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk has been named UEFA Men's Player of the Year
for 2018/19.

❖ He is the first defender ever to win the prestigious title.

o UEFA Men's Player of the Year: Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)
o UEFA Women's Player of the Year: Lucy Bronze (Olympique Lyonnais)
o Best players of the 2018/19 Champions League
▪ Goalkeeper: Alisson Becker (Liverpool)
▪ Defender: Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)
▪ Midfielder: Frenkie de Jong (Ajax)
▪ Forward: Lionel Messi (Barcelona)
Amrita Pritam – Google Doodle
❖ Google celebrated the 100th birth anniversary of renowned Punjabi poet, Amrita
Pritam with a Google Doodle on August 31, 2019.
❖ Amrit Kaur who became known by her stage name, Amrita Pritam was born in
British India's Gujranwala, Punjab (present-day Pakistan).

❖ Notable works include Kala Gulab and Pinjar.

❖ The poet was known for her writings in the Punjabi language, Hindi and Urdu.
❖ Famous Awards conferred to Amrita
o 1981 - Bharatiya Jnanpith literary Award.
o 2005 - Padma Bhushan Award.

First astronaut in 2022 – Pakistan

❖ Pakistan announced that it will send its first astronaut to space in 2022 using
close ally China’s satellite launch facilities.
❖ In 2018, Pakistan launched two indigenously built satellites, onboard the
Chinese Long March (LM-2C) rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre
located at the Gobi Desert.
❖ One of them was a remote sensing satellite (PRSS1) — a dual purpose Earth
observational and optical satellite.
❖ The second test satellite launched was a PAK-TES-1A to enhance satellite
manufacture capabilities in the country.
We Care Film Fest
❖ Indian documentary film ‘I'm Jeeja’ bagged the top award in the 'Under 30
minute' category at the 14th edition of the 'We Care Film Festival on Disability
Issues' held at New Delhi.
❖ The movies focussed on stereotypes about disability and the disabled.
❖ I'm Jeeja, directed by Swati Chakraborty tells the story of disability activist Jeeja
Ghosh who suffers from cerebral palsy.

❖ Another Indian film Post Dark, directed by Vicky Khandpur's received a jury
mention in 'Under 5 minutes' category.
❖ The festival is co-founded by UNESCO, United Nations Information Centre for
India and Bhutan, and Brotherhood - a New Delhi based NGO.

Yoga Awards
❖ The Prime Minister presented Yoga awards to the winners of PM’s Award for
Outstanding Contribution for Promotion and Development of Yoga.
 ❖ 12 commemorative postal stamps to honour eminent scholars, Practitioners and
great Master Healers of AYUSH Systems were released.
❖ Winners of the year 2019 Yoga Awards

CATEGORY AWARDEES

Individual - National Swami Rajarshi Muni of Life Mission, Gujarat

Individual - International Ms. Antonietta Rozzi, Italy
Organisation - National Bihar School of Yoga, Munger, Bihar
Organisation - International Japan Yoga Niketan, Japan
Organisation

❖ The Prime Minister also launched 10 AYUSH Health and Wellness Centres
(AYUSH HWCs) located in the state of Haryana.
❖ These Centres will be complementing the National Health Policy, 2017 that
insisted upon integration and mainstreaming of AYUSH services in conventional
health care delivery system.

SPORTS
Biel International Chess Festival
❖ Grandmaster Vidit Gujrathi showed his all-round ability to win the Biel
International Chess tournament.
❖ He is the 24-year-old from Nashik, Maharashtra.

❖ When we look at the previous winners at Biel, the history of which goes back to
1968.
Para World Cup
❖ Para World Cup for shooting held in Osijek, Croatia.
❖ In the event, India’s Rahul Jakhar clinched gold by defeating Chinese shooter
Chao Yang at the men's 10m air pistol podium.
❖ On the other hand, Manish Narwal finished with silver with bettering his own
junior finals World Record.
❖ In women's 10m air pistol final, Nisha Kanwar clinched gold medal.
❖ Her teammate, Rubina Francis took bronze.

Vinesh Phogat – Wrestling Tournament

❖ Indian Wrestler Vinesh Phogat won gold in women’s 53kg category at Poland
Open wrestling tournament in Warsaw (capital of Poland).
❖ She defeated wrestler Roksana of Poland in finals of competition.
❖ This is her 3rd consecutive gold in women’s 53kg category after Spain and
Turkey.

Transgenders Cricketers in Australia

❖ Cricket Australia has announced new transgender inclusive policy.
❖ This policy will enable transgender players to play the game of cricket at the
highest levels.
❖ The decision is in accordance with the International Cricket Council’s (ICC)
gender recognition policy and gender diversity guidelines.
❖ Australia has set out a testosterone limit for transgender and gender-diverse
players who want to play for state and national women’s teams.
BCCI – National Anti-Doping Agency
❖ The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has agreed to come under the
ambit of the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA).
❖ Till now, Sweden-based International Dope Testing Management (IDTM) was
collecting cricketers’ samples on behalf of BCCI and submitting them to the
National Dope Testing Laboratory (NDTL).
❖ NADA will now collect samples of all cricketers during domestic tournaments,
bilateral series, IPL Tournament.
About
❖ NADA was established in 2005 as registered society under Societies Registration
Act of 1890 with a mandate for ‘dope free’ sports in India.
❖ It is responsible for promoting, monitoring and coordinating doping control
program in sports in all its forms in India.

Hasim Amla retirement

❖ The South African Cricket player Hashim Amla has retired from all international
cricket.
❖ Hashim Amla is the only South African to score a triple century in a Test and
First South African batsman to score 25 centuries in ODIs.
❖ In June 2014, Amla became South Africa's first permanent non-white Test
captain.
❖ Three days before South African fast bowler Dale Steyn also announced his
retirement from Test Cricket.
Wrestler Deepak Punia – Junior World Champion
❖ Deepak Punia has scripted history for Indian sports after becoming 1st Indian
junior world champion in 18 years.
❖ Deepak beat Russia's Alik Shebzukov to win the 86kg junior freestyle wrestling
title.
❖ He won gold at the Junior World Championships in Talinn, Estonia.

Ultimate Table Tennis Title

❖ Chennai Lions got victory over Dabang Delhi to clinch the Ultimate Table Tennis
crown in New Delhi.
❖ The Chennai team was spearheaded by Sharath Kamal, a professional table
tennis player from Tamil Nadu.

Junior Track Cycling World Championships

❖ The Indian junior cyclists clinched their first-ever gold in the men's team sprint
medal at the Junior Track Cycling World Championships in Frankfurt, Germany.
❖ The trio of Esow Alben, Ronaldo and Rojit Singh Yanglem landed the historic gold
medal for India.
❖ With the team sprint win, India registered its first-ever cycling gold at the world
level.
❖ Esow Alben also added two medals already in this tournament by winning silver
in the Men's Sprint individual event and by winning bronze in the men's keirin
final.
Para Swimmer Satendra Singh Lohia
❖ Indian Para Swimmer Satendra Singh Lohia has become the first Asian to cross
the Catalina Channel of America.
❖ He also holds the Asian record of crossing both the English and Catalina
channels.
❖ He led the Indian Para Relay team along with 5 teammates and crossed the
Catalina Channel and covered the distance of 42 km in 11 hours 34 minutes.

3rd Nation’s Cup 2019

❖ India’s junior women boxers’ team has clinched 12 medals at the 3rd Nation’s Cup
2019 held in Serbia.
❖ It includes 4 gold, 4 silver and 4 bronze medals.
❖ The gold medal winner, Tamanna won the ‘Best Foreign Boxer’ award.
Medal Winners
Gold 1.Tamanna
2.Ambeshori Devi
3. Preethi Dahiya
4. Priyanka
Silver 1. Anju Devi
2. Simran Verma
3. Manshi Dalal
4. Tanishbir Kaur Sandhu
Bronze 1. Aashreya Naik
2. Neha
3. Khushi
4. Alfiya Akram Khan Pathan
South Asian Spelling Bee contest
❖ Navneeth Murali, an Indian-American teenager from New Jersey, has won
the 2019 South Asian Spelling Bee contest.
❖ The South Asian Spelling Bee (SASB) is an annual spelling bee platform in the
US for children of South Asian descent.
❖ The competition is open to any student at or below the age of 14, who has at least
one parent or grandparent who is of South Asian descent, or whose lineage can
be traced to Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan,
and/or Sri Lanka.
PV Sindhu - BWF World Championships
❖ PV Sindhu defeated Japan’s Nozomi Okuhara 21-7, 21-7 in the women's singles
final to become the first Indian to win Gold at the BWF World Championships.
❖ This is Sindhu's fifth medal at the World Championships. (1 gold, 2 bronze, 2
silver)
❖ This record is the joint highest in women's singles in the history of the
tournament along with Xhang Ning of China, a two-time Olympic gold medallist.
❖ In men’s category, Sai Praneeth won the Bronze medal.

First Substitute Player in Test Match

❖ In the second Ashes cricket Test match (2019), Marnus Labuschagne of Australia
became the first ever “concussion substitute” player for Steve Smith.
❖ He is also the first ever ‘substitute player’ to bat in a Test innings.
❖ ICC approved such a move in July 2019.
About concussion
❖ A Concussion temporarily affects brain functioning.
 ❖ Symptoms: Loss of consciousness, memory loss, headaches, difficulty with
thinking and concentration or balance, nausea, blurred vision, sleep
disturbances and mood changes.

129th Durand Cup – Kerala Team Wins

❖ Gokulam Kerala FC won Durand Cup 2019 football tournament by beating West
Bengal’s Mohun Bagan team in final held at Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata.
❖ This was Gokulam Kerala FC’s debut season.
❖ Golden Ball & Golden Boot award was won by Gokulam Kerala FC forward and
captain Marcus Joseph.
❖ Golden Glove was won by the same team’s goalkeeper CK Ubaid.
❖ Durand Cup or Durand Football Tournament is a football tournament in India
founded in 1888.
❖ It is Asia’s oldest football tournament and 3rd oldest football tournament in
world.
❖ It is co-hosted by Durand Football Tournament Society (DFTS) and Osians.

Shooting World Cup - Elavenil Valarivan

❖ India’s Elavenil Valarivan grabbed the Gold medal in the ISSF World Cup
tournament.
❖ She secured top spot in the 10-metre Air Rifle category (Women) in the
tournament.
❖ The competition took place in Rio de janeiro in Brazil.
❖ Elavenil hails from Cuddalore in Tamil Nadu.
 ❖ Elavenil has won a Gold in the ISSF Junior World Cup tournament in 2018.

Manasi Joshi – Para Badminton

❖ Manasi Joshi has won the BWF Para Badminton World Championships.
❖ The tournament is held at Basel in Switzerland.
❖ Joshi had previously won a bronze in the 2017 edition.
❖ Overall, India has bagged 12 medals in the BWF Para Badminton World
Championships.
❖ Manasi became the first Indian to win the gold at the BWF World Champion.

Vismaya – 400m gold

❖ Vismaya clocked 52.12 seconds to clinch a gold in women's 400m run at the
International Athletic Meeting.
❖ M.P.Jabir won the men’s 400m hurdles.
❖ The event is held at Brno, Czech Republic.
❖ Men: 400m hurdles: M.P. Jabir (49.86s).
❖ Women’s 400m:
1. V.K. Vismaya (52.12s)
2. M.R. Poovamma (53.47s)
3. V. Subha (53.67s).
 IMPORTANT DAYS

Scout Scarf Day - August 01

❖ Scout Scarf Day is observed around the world on August 01.
❖ The date of the event commemorates the very first Scout Camp on Brown sea
Island in 1907.
❖ It encourages current and former scouts to wear their scarves in pride as a
symbol of the Scout’s promise and the spirit of Scouting.

World Breastfeeding Week - August 1 to 7

❖ World Breastfeeding Week (WBW) is annually held from 1 to 7 August.
❖ It aims to promote exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life which
has huge health benefits.
 ❖ It is jointly organized by World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action, WHO (World
Health Organization) and UNICEF.
❖ It was first celebrated in 1992 and is now annually observed in more than 100
countries.
❖ The Food and Nutrition Board, Ministry of Women and Child Development, is
organizing a number of activities on the theme “Empower Parents, Enable
Breastfeeding” during the WBW.
❖ Breastfeeding is important because
o It prevents infections like diarrhoea and acute respiratory infections in
early infancy and thus reduces infant mortality
o It decreases the risk of mothers developing breast cancer, ovarian cancer,
type 2 diabetes, and heart disease

National handloom day – August 7

❖ India celebrates National handloom Day on August 7th of every year.
❖ The first such day was celebrated on August 7th, 2015.
❖ August 7 was chosen so as to commemorate Swadeshi Movement which was
launched on 07.08.1905 in Calcutta Town Hall to protest against the partition of
Bengal by the British government.
❖ The day is celebrated to honour the handloom weavers in the country, increase
the income of weavers and also highlight handloom industry’s contribution to
Indian economy.
❖ The 2019 main event of National Handloom Day will be held in Bhubaneswar,
Odisha.

International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples – August 9

❖ International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples is celebrated annually on 9
August.
❖ The day aims to protect the rights of indigenous peoples and recognize the
contributions that indigenous people make to improve world issues such as
environmental protection.
❖ It was first pronounced by the General Assembly of the United Nations in
December 1994.
❖ Indigenous people make up less than 5 per cent of the world's population, but
account for 15 per cent of the poorest.
 ❖ They speak an overwhelming majority of the world’s estimated 7,000 languages
and represent 5,000 different cultures.
❖ This year’s observance (2019) is dedicated to Indigenous Peoples’ Languages in
view of 2019 being marked as the International Year of Indigenous Languages.

World Biofuel Day

❖ World Biofuel Day is observed every year on 10th of August.
❖ It is being observed by the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas since 2015.

❖ The purpose of the observance is to create awareness about the importance of

non-fossil fuels as an alternative to conventional fossil fuels and highlight the
various efforts made by India in the biofuel sector.
❖ This year the theme of the World Biofuel Day is “Production of Biodiesel from
Used Cooking Oil (UCO)”.

World Lung Cancer Day – August 1

❖ World Lung Cancer Day, the observance intended to raise awareness about the
impact of lung cancer is held every year on August 1.
❖ It is responsible for nearly 1 in 5 cancer deaths according to the World Health
Organization.
❖ The factors that play a role in cancer development include tobacco products,
industrial products (uranium, radiation, asbestos) air pollution, and nutritional
deficiencies.
World Wide Web Day – August 1
❖ August 1 was World Wide Web Day.
❖ Tim Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web in 1989.
❖ The World Wide Web (WWW) was conceived in 1989 at the CERN lab, a European
research organization, at Geneva of Switzerland, as a way for scientists to share
knowledge.

❖ The world’s first website (http://info.cern.ch) at CERN, went online on August 6,

1991.
❖ A NeXT Computer was used by Sir Tim Berners-Lee as the world's first web server
and also to write the first web browser - WorldWideWeb - in 1990.
❖ On April 30, 1993, CERN announced that the World Wide Web would be free to
anyone, with no fees due.
 ❖ The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), the main international standards
organisation for the World Wide Web, was founded by Tim Berners-Lee after he
left CERN in October 1994.

International Cat Day – August 8

❖ International Cat Day is a celebration which takes place on 8 August, every year.
❖ It was created in 2002 by the International Fund for Animal Welfare.

National Deworming Day – August 8

❖ The National Deworming Day is an initiative of Ministry of Health and Family
Welfare.
❖ It is aimed at deworming all preschool and school-age children (enrolled and non-
enrolled) between the ages of 1-19 years through the platform of schools and
Anganwadi Centres.
 ❖ Albendazole tablets are orally administered for the children during the
programme.
❖ In India it is celebrated twice as in February 10 and August 8.
❖ India's first National Deworming Day took place on the 10th February 2015.

Nagasaki Day – August 9

❖ At the end of Second World War, the USA’s war plane Bockscar dropped a
plutonium implosion bomb (Fat Man) on Nagasaki in Japan on August 9 in 1945.
❖ Japan surrendered to the Allies on August 15, six days after the bombing of
Nagasaki and the Soviet Union's declaration of war.

World Lion Day – August 10

❖ World Lion Day is observed annually on August 10.
❖ It is dedicated to the majestic creatures in an effort to help save them from
extinction.
❖ In India, Lions, also known as Asiatic Lions, are restricted to the Gir National
Park in the Indian state of Gujarat.
❖ The lion is one of five pantherine cats inhabiting India, along with the Bengal
tiger, Indian leopard, snow leopard and clouded leopard.
World Elephant Day – August 12
❖ World Elephant day is observed annually on August 12.
❖ It is dedicated to the preservation and protection of the world's elephants.
❖ It was conceived in 2011 by Elephant Reintroduction Foundation, Thailand and
Canadian filmmakers Patricia Sims and Michael Clark.
❖ African elephants are listed as "Vulnerable" and Asian elephants as "Endangered"
on the IUCN Red List of threatened species.
❖ The first International Elephant Day was held on August 12, 2012.
❖ Poaching, habitat loss, human-elephant conflicts, mistreatment in captivity are
major concerns in elephant conservation.
Elephants
❖ Project Elephant was launched in 1992 by the Government of India Ministry of
Environment and Forests.

❖ The Project is being mainly implemented in 16 States, viz. Andhra Pradesh,

Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala,
Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttarakhand,
Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal in India.
❖ Indian elephant is the national heritage animal of India since October 22, 2010.
❖ Bandipur National Park of Karnataka along with Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve is the
largest protected area in southern India and the largest habitat of wild elephants
in India.
❖ The South Indian states of Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu are home to nearly
44% of the elephants, 35% of the tigers and 31% of the leopards in India.
❖ The state of Karnataka alone is home to 22% of the elephants, 18% of the tigers
and 14% of the leopards in India.
❖ The Northeast Indian states of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Meghalaya
and Tripura together with West Bengal account for 30% of the elephants and 5%
of the tiger population in India.

International Youth Day (IYD) – August 12

❖ 12th August was designated International Youth Day by the UN General
Assembly in 1999.
❖ The first IYD was observed on 12 August, 2000.
❖ 2019 Theme: “Transforming education”.
National Librarian's Day – August 12
❖ Siyali Ramamrita Ranganathan is considered to be the father of library science,
documentation, and information science in India.

❖ He was born on August 9th in 1892 at Sirkali, Tanjavur.

❖ His birthday is observed every year as the National Librarian's Day (August 12)
in India.
❖ His autobiography, published serially during his life, is titled A Librarian Looks
Back.
❖ He also wrote a book "The Five Laws of Library Science".
International lefthanders Day – August 13
❖ International Left Handers Day is an international day observed annually on
August 13.
❖ The day was first observed in 1976 by Dean R. Campbell, founder of the
Lefthanders International.

World Organ Donation Day – August 13

❖ Organ Donation Day is celebrated on August 13 all over World.
❖ In India, Organ Donation Day is also celebrated on November 27th since 2010.

❖ The Union Ministry of Health & Family Welfare launched 6th World and 1st ever
Indian Organ Donation Day and Organ Donation Congress in 2010 in New Delhi.
❖ Tamil Nadu has been honoured with the Best Performing State for Organ
Donation for the 4th time in a row.
World Honey Bee Day – August 17
❖ World honey bee day was observed on August 17, 2019 (Every Third Saturday in
August).
❖ It was started by beekeepers in the USA in 2009. Gradually other countries also
started observing it every year.
❖ The day aims to build community awareness of the bee industry, through
education and promotion.

World Humanitarian Day – August 19

❖ World Humanitarian Day is observed every year on August 19.
❖ It is an international day dedicated to recognize humanitarian personnel and
those who have lost their lives working for humanitarian causes.
❖ The day commemorates the August 19th, 2003 incident in which UN Diplomat
Sérgio Vieira de Mello and 20 others were killed in the bombing of the UN
Headquarters in Baghdad, Iraq.
❖ Five years later, the UN General Assembly officially adopted a resolution
designating 19th August as the world humanitarian day.
❖ The theme of the day for 2019 is ‘Women Humanitarians’.
❖ It is as a mark of respect to women humanitarians who have been working on
the front lines in war and other affected areas of the world.
World Photograph Day – August 19
❖ The World Photography day is celebrated every year on August 19th.
❖ It is an annual, worldwide celebration of the art, craft, science and history of
photography.

World Mosquito Day – August 20

❖ World Mosquito Day is observed annually on 20 August.
❖ World Mosquito Day was first established in 1897, when the link between
mosquitos and malaria transmission was discovered by Sir Ronald Ross.
❖ The day commemorates the discovery by Ross.
❖ The day aims to raise awareness about the causes of malaria and how it can be
prevented, as well as fund raising for research into the cure of malaria.
❖ Mosquitos are attracted more to O type bloods and they can smell carbon dioxide
from 100 metres away.
Sadbhavana Diwas (Communal Harmony Day) – August 20
❖ Every year 20 August is celebrated as Sadbhavana Diwas or Communal Harmony
Day to commemorate birth anniversary of Rajiv Gandhi, former Prime Minister of
India.
❖ This day is observed to encourage national integration, peace, affection and
communal harmony among Indian people of all religions.
❖ 20 August 2019 marks 75th birth anniversary of Rajiv Gandhi.

International Day of Remembrance and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism

– August 21
❖ The International Day of Remembrance and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism
is observed every year on August 21.
❖ The day is observed to express solidarity with the victims of terrorism and their
families and to condemn the suffering caused by terrorism around the world.
❖ In 2017, the UN General Assembly designated August 21 as such a day to honor
the victims and survivors of terrorism.
❖ It is observed since 21 August, 2018.

World Senior Citizen’s Day – August 21

❖ The World Senior Citizen's Day is celebrated on August 21 each year.
❖ The day is dedicated to increase awareness about the issues that affect older
adults.
 ❖ It also recognises and acknowledges the contributions of older people to the
society.
❖ The day was first conceived in 1988 by former US President Ronald Reagan and
later proclaimed by UN General Assembly in 1990.

Madras Day - August 22

❖ Madras Day is a festival organized to commemorate the founding of the city of
Madras (now Chennai) in Tamil Nadu on 22 August every year.
❖ On 22 August 1639, it is being the widely agreed date for the purchase of the
village of Madraspatnam or Chennapatnam by East India Company from
Damarla Venkatadri Nayaka.
❖ Madras Week will be celebrated from August 18 to 25 with various events.
❖ The first recorded celebration of the founding of Madras was its commemoration
in 1939.
❖ Recent idea to mark Madras Day celebrations was started by Chennai Heritage
Foundation in 2004.
International Day for Victims of Acts of Violence based on Religion or Belief
– August 22
❖ On 22 August 2019, for the first time, the world is observing ‘International Day
Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief’.
❖ It aims to honour victims and survivors of heinous acts who often remain
forgotten.
❖ United Nation General Assembly on 28 May 2019, adopted resolution for
designating 22 August as this International Day.

International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition
- 23 August
❖ The “International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition”
is observed every year on 23 August.
❖ The date August 23 is chosen to commemorate the August 22 to August 23, 1791
rebellion by “slaves” against slave trade in the island of St. Dominique (now
known as Haiti).
❖ It was a major factor in the abolition of the Transatlantic slave trade.
❖ The day was first celebrated in Haiti on August 23, 1998.

International Day against Nuclear Tests – August 29

❖ On 2 December 2009, the 64th session of the United Nations large-scale
Assembly declared 29 August the International Day against Nuclear Tests.
❖ The resolution was initiated by Kazakhstan together with several sponsors and
cosponsors to commemorate the closure of the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test
Site on August 29, 1991.
National Sports Day – August 29
❖ Every year on August 29, India celebrates National sports day.
❖ August 29 is the birth anniversary of hockey legend Major Dhyan Chand.
❖ Dhyan Chand is the Indian hockey player who won gold medals in Olympics for
India in the years 1928, 1932 and 1936.

International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances - August 30

❖ The International Day of the Disappeared is a day created to draw attention to
the fate of individuals imprisoned at places and under poor conditions unknown
to their relatives and/or legal representatives.
❖ It is observed on August 30 of each year.
❖ The day was established by the UN General Assembly on December 21, 2010.
❖ The day also allows states to consider the fulfilment of their obligations under
the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced
Disappearance (the Convention).
National Small Industry Day – August 30
❖ Small industry day is celebrated on 30 Aug every year in support and promotion
of small Industries.
❖ Small Industry day is celebrated as a part of its effort to provide balanced growth
to existing small, medium and large-scale enterprises.
❖ It seeks to render assistance for setting up new industries to boost the state's
financial health.

MISCELLANEOUS
Tourism till 9 PM
❖ Union Culture and Tourism Minister of State (independent charge) Prahlad Patel
announced that 10 centrally protected monuments across India will be open to
public from sunrise till 9 p.m.
❖ Currently gates of most monuments are closed for visitors by 5:30-6 pm.
❖ The List of Monuments
Humayun’s Tomb in Delhi Rajarani Temple in
Bhubaneswar
Safdarjung Tomb in Delhi Dulhadev Temple in Khajuraho
Shekh Chilli Tomb in Group of Temples in
Kurukshetra Maharashtra (Markanda)
Man Mahal in Uttar Pradesh Rani ki Baav in Paatan, Gujarat.
(Varanasi)
Gol Gumbaj in Karnataka Group of Monuments at
Pattadakal in Karnataka

LAFA competition
❖ K Mahaswetha, of Angeripalayam, Tiruppur has won the best child actress award
for her role in a Malayalam short film Aaroduparuyum’ (To whom should I tell?)
at the Los Angeles Film Awards (LAFA).
o LAFA is a monthly film and screenplay competition for filmmakers
worldwide.
Arun Jaitley passed away
❖ Former Finance Minister Arun Jaitley passed away on August 24 in New Delhi.
❖ Jaitley served as the Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs of the Government
of India from 2014 to 2019.
❖ From 2009 to 2014, he served as the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha.
❖ He oversaw the introduction of the Goods and Services Tax which brought the
country under one GST regime, demonetization, merger of Railway budget with
general budget and introduction of Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code.

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